Member Article

£16 million funding puts Crewe project on road to success

Nearly £16 million of funding from central government has been confirmed to support the construction of a strategic link road which may boost growth and drive regeneration in Cheshire.

The £26.4 million Crewe Green Link Road South project is one of the central components of plans to regenerate and revitalise the town centre and surrounding area. This vision is called ‘All Change for Crewe’

The Department for Transport has now confirmed £15.64 million funding for the 1.1km-long dual-carriageway link road.

It will run between the A500 Hough-Shavington bypass and the A5020 – creating an alternate bypass for Crewe, improving access to the A500 and M6 and alleviating traffic passing through the town.

It will also help unlock the potential of two major employment sites at Basford and help facilitate the creation of up to 12,500 jobs over 20 years.

The announcement means that the new road, which is key to unlocking the economic potential of Crewe, remains on schedule, with main works on track to begin by the end of July, with completion expected in October 2015.

Cheshire East Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “This is a major project which is central to our All Change for Crewe plans to greatly enhance the future prosperity of Crewe and make it a nationally-significant economic centre by 2030.

“It will improve connectivity between areas of deprivation to the north of Crewe, the town centre, the rail station and major employment opportunities to the south east and it will also act as a major catalyst for further commercial investment and the creation of thousands of jobs.

“This latest funding follows our moves to secure a strategic HS2 rail hub in Crewe, worth up to £2.8bn in investment and economic benefits by 2030, investment of £6.177 million to improve access to Crewe Rail Station which opened this month, and planned improvements congestion pinch points at M6 junctions 16 and 17”.

The council and developers have committed to meet the outstanding funding required for the Crewe Green Link Road South.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This scheme is great news for Crewe and will support the economic growth and regeneration of the town, including the ‘All Change for Crewe’ strategy.

“The £15.6 million we are putting into this project shows that we are serious about investing in the infrastructure the country needs to drive economic growth, both locally and nationally.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .