Scheme outline
Construction of a new dual two-lane road from the terminal roundabout at M67 junction 4 to the A57 at Mottram Moor, where it will terminate at another roundabout. The road will pass below the A6018 and a residential area by means of a bored tunnel. An intermediate roundabout west of Mottram will provide access to the A6018 by a link road. A further single two-lane road will continue from the end of the dual two-lane road south east to the A57 at Woolley Bridge.
Together these roads form a bypass of Mottram-in-Longdendale, which has been demanded by locals for several decades now, though Highways England are insistent on referring to them as "link roads".
This scheme forms part of Highways England's wider Trans-Pennine Programme, which includes a study into the construction of a new road tunnel under the Pennines to link Manchester and Sheffield. That would almost certainly bypass this new section of road too, which may be one reason that the proposals are quite modest. Another is the long-running battle for this bypass, and another for Hollingworth and Tintwistle just to the east. So far nothing has been built despite the dire traffic problems suffered by travellers and locals alike. Highways England are hoping to finally provide some relief to Mottram even if the road will later be bypassed by a new long-distance route.
Timescale
Cost
Status
Type
Highway authority
Funding
Progress
According to Highways England's latest update, work on the scheme has been delayed for up to a year and will now start in the winter of 2021-22 rather than March 2020.
Apparently the delay is because of additional air quality monitoring and the analysis of the resulting data - however, that is unlikely to impress those who have been pushing for a bypass for decades.
More information
Is this page out of date? These pages work entirely through your contributions. If you can provide information on what's happening, you can submit a progress update above. If information on this page is inaccurate or out of date, then please send us a message so we can correct it.
With thanks to David Peek for information on this page.
A public consultation was held by Highways England in spring 2018. Submission of a planning application is now due this winter.