New ring road plan to cut the congestion
PLANS have been put forward to ease congestion around Greater Manchester – and they could mean a new ‘ring road’ being built near Rochdale.
The M60 proposal is one of the results of a study into a congestion-hit network of roads to the north of Greater Manchester, between the M56 motorway in the south round the west of Greater Manchester to the M62 in the north.
It could mean new roads being built when future funding becomes available.
The Manchester M60 North West Quadrant Study has found traffic travelling between Merseyside and Yorkshire on the M62 and between Cheshire and Lancashire on the M61 and M66 often results in long delays when it meets commuter traffic around Manchester city centre at rush-hour.
The study has shortlisted three options for improvement – with each one costing up to £7.4 billion.
Plans include a new road link between the M58/M6 junction to the west of Wigan and junction 5 of the M61 near Bolton.
Traffic would travel south on the M61 to junction 2 then onto another new road link between the M61 and the M62, connecting onto the M62 between Heywood and Simister Island.
A new orbital road outside the existing M60, linking the M62 west of junction 12 at Eccles, the M61 and the M62 near Heywood, could also be built.
It is hoped the roads would divert traffic away from the M60, particularly HGVs travelling to the ports at Liverpool and Hull and into Yorkshire and the north east.
The third option involves a further programme of improvement to enhance the ‘capacity, performance and resilience’ of the M60, including widening the existing motorway, junction improvements and the creation of ‘through lanes’ to separate local and longdistance traffic.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We will develop options in greater detail, undertaking further analysis so construction can start as part of the next road investment strategy.”
The announcement is part of a multi-million pound windfall of cash for projects to improve public transport, roads and motorways across Greater Manchester.
Transport chiefs have also pledged to give Rochdale a share of £2.1m to repair and fill potholes.