The Tameside village marred by traffic

On the very edge of Greater Manchester there has been one problem that has plagued a quaint rural village – traffic.

Mottram in Longdendale has become synonymous with queuing traffic that snakes as far as the eye can see at peak times. Work on a solution to this started last year, with spades breaking ground on the Mottram bypass, a £228m project aimed at tackling congestion between Manchester and Sheffield.

This bypass, actually named the A57 link roads scheme, has never been far from conversation in the sleepy villages on the edge of Tameside.

For around 60 years the bypass was a pie in the sky idea that was only ever just talk. Now it is a reality.

As with most major highway schemes like this, things have to get better before they get worse. Nightmare traffic and longer queues are no longer feared here, they are expected.

Phil Thomas was taking his spritely cockapoo Dora for a stroll down Stalybridge Road, just off the notorious traffic magnet that is Mottram Moor. The pensioner stopped to share his views on the bypass debate.

Phil Thomas, 71, with cockapoo Dora.

“I live down the road, and the traffic is just heavy all the time,” the 71-year-old said. “I avoid going out on the weekends because of the works.

“I just expect it and that’s life, it wasn’t going to appear overnight was it? Is it worth it is my question, because it seems like a bypass to nowhere.

“I was happy when it got approved but I didn’t realise it was going to Woolly Bridge. I hoped it would go a bit closer to Woodhead.

“For Hollingworth and Tintwistle it will do nothing at all.”

Phil touched upon the core of the debate over the bypass – whether it goes far enough or not. Currently 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.

Many people, especially those living in the villages of Hollingworth and Tintwistle expected it to go a lot further, but the cash wasn’t there from the government to extend it. Although MPs on either side of the border Jonathan Reynolds and Jon Pearce hope this can be extended in the future.

For now, locals have to face the reality that this scheme is moving forward and isn’t expected to be complete until 2031. For Lynda and her beloved Shetland Sheepdog Max, five more years of roadworks is a tough pill to swallow.

Lynda and her dog Max.

“It’s certainly altered things,” the pensioner said. “I don’t like it because it was so rural and nice before but it doesn’t seem the same.

“We’ve been here since 1975 and I’m upset about the countryside aspect of the area being lost. It won’t be the same after.

“The traffic is terrible down there. But we wouldn’t move as a result – it’s just so nice here.”

Lynda and her partner Roy, who admitted he liked the works because he could watch the engineering works in action, both heaped praise on the actual workers themselves. The pair explained that when roadworks were happening you could see work being done and all those in hardhats and boots were happy to answer her questions, Lynda added.

This was a common theme amongst locals. National Highways were praised for their advanced communication of roadworks happening and for the efficiency of their workers.

Clive and Susan Hope were walking from their home on Broadbottom when they weighed in. They’re both for the bypass.

Susan said: “We don’t think it will make a difference the way it is. It will just move the queue further down. On the past two weekends the traffic has been a mile long. We’ve just not gone anywhere those two weekends.”

Clive added: “It has always been mentioned since we moved in the 1980s. The last two weekends it’s been awful traffic.

“But it’s got to get worse before it gets better.”

Alan Wadsworth grew up just down the road at Godley Green, where a huge 2,150-home scheme is currently earmarked. The 73-year-old worries that all the greenspace and rural fabric of this section of Hyde will be lost forever soon.

Alan said: “Both my parents were farmers and all that land was lost to the Alder Hey High School. I can remember before Hattersley was built in the 60s.

“We knew land was taken up there and my dad always said they’re coming for our land soon. It’s taken 60 years but he was right.

“The number of cars on the road is incredible. I’ve been stopped for 5 minutes just to get across Mottram Moor because of that.

“I assume it will be better for Mottram in the end, but what Hollingworth and Tintwistle think I don’t know. It’s shoving all the traffic down the road to them.”

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to the people of Hollingworth last year, the reaction was unanimously disappointment and anger. The general consensus was that they would get all the negatives from the construction work, but zero benefit.

In Mottram though the bypass is seen positively. For Gordon Tavernor, he is already seeing a benefit.

Gordon Tavernor, 78, from Mottram.

Taking a pause on repairing his front garden wall, the pensioner said: “It has been really good for the traffic around here. They’ve made a new stretch of road so they can get their big trucks through to the construction site.

“Previously the big trucks were getting access to the works along Mottram Moor. Traffic has been bad those weekends where roadworks put it down to a single lane, but since then it’s been okay.”

National Highways has thanked locals for their patience during these roadworks, particularly over the last few weekends. They have apologised for any disruption and have vowed to try and keep this to a minimum in future, where possible.

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “We would like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience while we built the temporary plant crossing at Mottram Moor. This work has now been successfully completed.

“The crossing will enable us to move construction materials safely and efficiently across the A57. Reusing material in this way will reduce heavy vehicle movements further afield and lower carbon emissions.”

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.