Airport bypass is due to open after months of delay
OBJECTIONS AND PROBLEMS PLAGUED £290M RELIEF ROAD SCHEME
IT’S been a long time coming – but the opening of the £290m Manchester Airport bypass is finally set to happen.
After decades in the planning and months of delays, transport chiefs have now announced that final inspections have been completed, and the road will open to traffic on Monday, October 15.
Stretching from Hazel Grove in the east to Manchester Airport in the west, the bypass is intended to provide a link between Stockport, Manchester and east Cheshire for all road users.
The huge project, funded by the Department for Transport, includes 11 new and upgraded junctions, 11 bridges including four railway crossings, as well as a shared cycle and pedestrian path that runs parallel to the road for its whole length.
Stockport council says the finishing touches will be completed over the next few days.
Coun Kate Butler, cabinet member for economy and regeneration at the council, said: “I’m delighted to be able to announce the opening date for the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, which is going to make it even easier for people to travel in and around our region.
“This has been one of the largest and most complex local authority road schemes on site in the UK over recent years and we’ve really appreciated all of the help, patience and support given by residents during the construction work – we know it has been hard at times.”
Originally planned for completion in autumn last year, the project has been plagued by objections, disruption and delays.
First mooted as early as the 1930s, it wasn’t until 2012 that consultation – and the objections – began. But the planning application got the green light in early 2014 and the following January the government approved Stockport council’s purchase of land to make way for the road. Work finally began in March 2015.
But progress was to be marred by controversy and delays. In April, last year, it was revealed heavy rain and flooding had postponed the road’s completion to spring this year.
Costs also spiralled, with £1.1m having to be spent on building eight extra ‘bunds’ - large mounds of earth along the route which act as a barrier between the bypass and nearby homes – to get rid of excess soil.
Residents also complained about the noise pollution of the project, with some families reporting being woken up by digging at 3am.
Then, with the collapse in January of Carillion – one of two contractors tasked with completing the dual carriageway – there were further delays.
The road, which goes via the A555 in Bramhall, will ease congestion on the A6, boost the region’s economy by £2.5bn and improve access in south east Manchester and east Cheshire.