Member Article

Tameside motorway interchange upgrade to ease congestion

A £5.3 million project to reduce congestion and improve safety at a busy motorway interchange in Tameside will begin the next stage of work on Tuesday 9 September.

The Highways Agency scheme at Denton Island, where the M60 meets the M67 and the A57, will see new slip roads constructed to bypass the busy roundabout. Improvements are also being made to the layout of the junction.

Engineers now need to close one of the two lanes on the Manchester-bound side of the A57 on the approach to the roundabout. Motorists who use the A57 are being advised to find alternative routes wherever possible, as the closure is likely to cause delays and will be in place for at least three weeks.

However, the Highways Agency will also be reopening all three lanes on the roundabout itself which should improve the flow of traffic for vehicles coming from other directions. One lane will remain closed on the westbound approach to Denton Island from the M67.

Mark Mosley, the Highways Agency’s project manager, said: “The improvements we’re making at Denton Island will have a significant long-term benefit for both the local and regional economy by reducing delays and improving safety.

“We now need to close one lane on the A57 on the Manchester-bound approach to the roundabout, and it is inevitable that this will cause delays. We are therefore encouraging motorists to find alternative routes wherever possible or allow extra time for their journeys.

“We would also urge drivers to obey the traffic lights as vehicles are getting stuck on the roundabout when they ignore the red lights, which is resulting in delays for other motorists.

“We are working hard to minimise disruption to drivers by working overnight wherever possible, and are pleased that we are now able to reopen all three lanes on the roundabout.

“The work is still scheduled to be completed before Christmas and, until that time, we would like to thank motorists for their continued patience.”

The first phase of the Denton Island project – including providing more room on both exit slip roads onto the roundabout from the M60 and a dedicated left turn for drivers leaving the anti-clockwise M60 for the Manchester-bound A57 – started in November last year and opened to drivers in April.

The second phase includes remodelling the westbound approaches to the roundabout from the M67 and A57. The improvements include providing a new slip road onto the clockwise side of the M60, bypassing the roundabout.

New traffic lights, street lights and signs will also be installed, the road will be resurfaced.

The project at Denton Island is one of 123 in the Government’s £317 million ‘pinch-point’ initiative – a two year programme of targeted works being delivered alongside larger schemes and routine maintenance and improvements along the strategic road network.

The pinch-point programme, devised with the input of councils and local enterprise partnerships, is designed to help stimulate new development and local economic growth by improving road safety and tackling congestion bottle necks. In all, 28 projects, worth £66 million, are being delivered across the North West.

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