The bypass 60 years in the making

On the edge of Greater Manchester people have been crying out for a bypass to solve their traffic problems. 60 years on, work has officially started.

The Mottram bypass has been a thing of myth and legend in Tameside for decades, but now it is a reality. 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.

On Friday (May 23), a special event to mark the historic day works started saw spades used to ‘break the ground’. Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge & Hyde, and Jon Pearce, MP for High Peak, were armed with shovels for a photo opportunity to mark the special occasion.

Afterwards, they both hailed the project as transformative for the area and their constituents. The A57 and A628 between Manchester and Sheffield has been plagued with heavy congestion for years, creating unreliable journeys.

Both politicians and National Highways believe this has restricted economic growth, as the delivery of goods to businesses is often delayed and the route is not ideal for commuters – limiting employment opportunities.

It is expected to be three long years until 2028 – when the link roads are scheduled to be up and running. During that time, motorists going through the areas can expect disruption and some short-term pain for what is expected to be a massive long-term gain.

For Jonathan Reynolds, this is a moment he has been dreaming of for decades. The business secretary has been campaigning for the link roads since the early 2000s, back when he was the Longdendale councillor.

Both he and Jon Pearce vowed to deliver this scheme in the build up to last year’s general election. Given Mr Reynolds’ ministerial position and his enthusiasm for the project, spades going in the ground seemed inevitable.

Mr Reynolds told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This goes way back to the 1960s when the A57 junctions were built and the plan was obviously for the big motorway between Manchester and Sheffield. It was pretty ambitious but it never happened, the problems we were left with have needed a solution.

“This is, to me, not just about the road but Tameside and the north getting its fair share. Other areas had this sort of issue addressed a long time ago and we deserve the same.

“If you ask an audience if they’ve ever been stuck in traffic between Sheffield and Manchester, everyone will put their hand up, everyone knows what it is.”

High Peak MP Jon Pearce (Left) with Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds in Mottram. Credit: LDRS

Why has it taken 60 years?

The project has seen many bumps in the road over the last six decades. How the road layout would work has evolved over the years with different ideas having been explored, but funding was eventually confirmed last year.

The pace of work picked up in the early 2000s, but the design process caused concerns in the Peak District area – home to a huge national park.

There was worry the new link road, which has been scaled back in size, could encroach on the beauty spot buzzing with ramblers, cyclists and nature lovers.

Mr Reynolds explained: “The reason it has taken so long is because it is the edge of the North West. About 20-years-ago when I was involved, a lot of the decisions were delegated to the regional level. It’s much easier to get a regional coalition in the North West around fixing the M6 junction than it would be here.

“There were some issues when we had the original, bigger plan, which touched on the band of the Peak District park and that was very sensitive at the time. This is a big engineering challenge as well.

“I think it should’ve been addressed earlier.”

He went on to say that the country needs to speed up big infrastructure projects, using the example of the axed HS2 project. The minister in charge of business and trade says his Labour government will be taking action on that.

In recent years, just when everyone thought the project was going to go through, a legal challenge from a countryside charity put a halt on proceedings. The Countryside Charity CPRE, also known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, applied for a judicial review in 2023.

The group said the former Transport Secretary Mark Harper failed to take into account the impact of increased carbon emissions and failed to consider alternatives to building a new road on the green belt.

That challenge was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2024, meaning work to enable construction officially got the green light.

Construction site for the start of the A57 link roads scheme. Credit: LDRS

What are the key benefits for the wider area?

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.

As the politicians, media and contractors gathered to celebrate the milestone on May 23, just off that very roundabout, the problem they were working to solve was evident. A huge snake of traffic going from the start of the A57 over the roundabout and backing onto the M67 was building in the background.

Mr Reynolds explained that motorway traffic is being ‘dumped’ on village roads, which isn’t good enough for locals’ quality of life.

He added: “People come along this motorway from the M60 and see the sign for Sheffield thinking ‘oh great’, but then it just ends. It is quite inexplicable.”

For those just outside Greater Manchester, getting in rather than out is equally as frustrating. Many people living in areas like Glossop, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge work in the city-region. It has been nightmarish for those people to get to work and back, which is why their MP has hailed this project.

Jon Pearce told the LDRS: “My major priority is that residents can get in and out of High Peak as easily as possible. And that certainly hasn’t been happening for years.

“We have a huge number of people who work in Manchester and in Sheffield. Anything we can do to improve connectivity for those people – their commutes to work, the football, or the hospital – then we absolutely should be.

“It’s hugely important we delivered this. There was a lot of nonsense in the general election from my opponent that if Labour got in, this would be cancelled.

“We were absolutely determined that this was going to go ahead, as you can see we’re delivering it now.”

Construction site for the start of the A57 link roads scheme. Credit: LDRS

What the government says

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “This is a long-awaited moment for communities across the North. The A57 Link Roads will not only cut congestion and shorten journey times between Manchester and Sheffield, but will also open up new opportunities for growth, jobs and investment across the region.

“Jonathan Reynolds has been a fantastic advocate for this vital project. We’re proud to be backing it as part of our plan to boost connectivity through our Plan for Change.”

National Highways Chief Executive Nick Harris added: “We are delighted with the Government’s commitment to deliver this major investment in our road network

“The A57 Link Roads scheme will transform travel in the North by improving journey time and reliability between Manchester and Sheffield. This will help unlock economic growth within and between these two cities, creating jobs and encouraging businesses to grow.”

MP Jonathan Reynolds on site for the start of Mottram bypass works. Credit: LDRS