Roadworks on Mottram bypass scheduled

Motorists can expect disruption over the next two weekends as progress on the bypass ‘60 years in the making’ continues.

The Mottram bypass has been an ongoing saga in Tameside for decades, but now it is close to a reality with spades going in the ground back in May. The A57 link road scheme, estimated to be worth around £228m, is designed to tackle congestion between Manchester and Sheffield.

The massive infrastructure scheme was finally signed off last year – having first been mooted in 1965.

The A57 Link Roads project includes the creation of two new link roads. One is Mottram Moor Link Road – a new dual carriageway from the M67 junction 4 roundabout to a new junction on the A57 at Mottram Moor.

The other is the A57 Link Road – a new single carriageway link from the A57 at Mottram Moor to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.

National Highways, who are pressing on with the scheme, are now carrying out essential utility diversion work on Mottram Moor. Traffic Management will need to be in place continuously for a full 48 hour period from 6am Saturday morning until 6am Monday morning over the next two weekends as a result.

All traffic will be reduced to a single lane on both the east and west bound of Mottram Moor on the weekends of October 11 and October 18. To reduce impact on residents, construction activity will only take place during the day, however traffic management will be in place for the full 48 hours for safety reasons.

The bypass going past Mottram has always been a talking point in the area since the M67 was built. Currently the short motorway runs from the eastern side of the M60 at Denton all the way to a roundabout next to the Hattersley Tesco – where congestion is notoriously heavy at peak times.

The A57 link roads scheme is estimated to be up and running by 2028, but a full completion date could be as late as 2031, according to the National Highways website.