Work on major link road 50 years in making set to start

The A57 Link Roads project will include the creation of two new link roads

Preliminary work to build a major bypass that has been 50 years in the making is finally set to start.

Plans for the A57 Mottram Bypass link road project - which will create two new link roads between Manchester and Sheffield - have evolved over the decades but have never gone ahead until now.

Before construction can begin, preparation works need to be carried out, National Highways has confirmed.

This includes work to divert telecoms cables which will start next month on Mottram Moor in preparation for the new bypass, a project expected to take three years.

The bypass is expected to cut congestion in the village of Mottram at the end of M67

This new road will bypass the village of Mottram, where LS Lowry used to live and extend towards Glossop, but will not pass Tintwistle and Hollingworth.

The Secretary of State for Transport approved Development Consent Orders for the project last year but a legal challenge delayed the scheme further.

That challenge was rejected by the Court of Appeal which means builders can start work next year.

The A57 Link Roads project will create the Mottram Moor Link Road – a new dual carriageway from the M67 junction 4 roundabout to a new junction on the A57(T) at Mottram Moor.

The other is the A57 Link Road – a new single carriageway link from the A57(T) at Mottram Moor to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.

Work has now started on diverting some BT cables that currently run in the area - which will tun until 18 October and will cause footpath closures on Mottram Moor.

Once construction starts on the bypass in 2025, it is expected to take about three years to complete, according to National Highways.

The A57 Link Roads project was formerly known as the “Trans-Pennine Upgrade”

The project, formerly known as the “Trans-Pennine Upgrade”, is referred to as the “Mottram Moor Link Road and A57 Link Road project” in the government’s second Roads Investment Strategy.

The A57 and A628 between Manchester and Sheffield currently suffer from heavy congestion.

A spokesman for National Highways said: "This can restrict potential economic growth, as the delivery of goods to businesses is often delayed and the route is not ideal for commuters, which limits employment opportunities.

"Much of this heavy traffic travels through local roads, disrupting the lives of communities and makes it difficult and potentially unsafe for pedestrians to cross the roads.

"These issues will only get worse with time if significant improvements aren’t made".