Airport relief road delayed again
BAD WEATHER BEHIND LATEST HOLD UP AS PLANNED SPRING OPENING WILL BE MISSED
AFTER months of problems, council bosses have finally admitted the opening of the Manchester Airport relief road will be delayed again, with bad weather shouldering part of the blame yet again.
The 10km bypass, designed to ease congestion and link the A6 in Hazel Grove in Stockport to the M56 via the A555, will now open ‘in late summer 2018,’ it has been announced.
Previously the road’s unveiling was set for spring this year having been put back from November 2017 for reasons including bad weather.
But since then, construction company Carillion – one of two major contractors involved in the project – collapsed and the A555 has closed for 17 weeks for urgent repair work to drainage.
Other reasons for the latest delay are ‘heavy rain’ and ground conditions being more challenging than anticipated.
Councillor Kate Butler, cabinet member for the economy, said: “The A6MARR project has faced a number of challenges and while a lot of work has taken place to reduce their impact they have affected progress on the project.
“Unfortunately, we will be unable to open the road as planned this spring. On behalf of the whole project team, I apologise for this further delay and want to assure residents and businesses that we are continuing to work very closely with the contractor to get work completed and the road open as soon as possible.
“While this news is disappointing, when it opens the A6MARR will bring many benefits for residents and companies throughout the area, reducing congestion on our roads and bringing jobs and business opportunities closer than they ever have been before.”
Earlier this month it was announced the westbound side of the A555, which will form part of the route, will shut until early-mid June while work takes place.
And in January, following Carillion’s collapse, responsibility for its part of the £290m road was transferred to the other major partner Morgan Sindall.
But the project has experienced a number of problems since work began in March 2015.
An extra 340,000 tonnes of soil was produced by digging out the route, meaning it had to be disposed of by making additional bunds – large mounds of earth along the route.
A number of these were used to screen homes from the road but some residents complained some were not big enough.
Giant nets had to be erected – and given planning permission – to stop balls from Hazel Grove Golf Course going on the carriageway.
There is strong opposition to a potential future extension of the road, to take it from the A6 up to the M60 in Bredbury. Liberal Democrat councillor Iain Roberts said he was not surprised about the latest announcement.
“Public safety come first of course,
I would like to see evidence the councils have done everything to reduce the pain of this Iain Roberts
but I would like to see evidence the councils involved have done everything they possibly can to reduce the pain of this,” he said.
“Essentially, it means there is no chance of the relief road being open this spring, which is what the council has promised for some time.”
Stockport council is the lead authority for the project, which also includes Manchester and Cheshire East councils.