Delays expected as flyover finally to receive crucial works

Oldham motorists have been warned to expect delays as crucial maintenance takes place on a busy flyover from next month.

Construction works will start on the Manchester Street Viaduct from the end of May and are expected to last until November.

The concrete flyover over the A62 Oldham Way roundabout has apparently been in a ‘poor and deteriorating condition’ for several years. Since it was built in the 1970s, no works have taken place to maintain the structure. 

That is despite the elevated road being beset by problems including water seepage through joints, concrete cracking, reinforcement corrosion and contaminated concrete, according to a 2023 report. 

Works on the flyover were first announced three years ago, but funding delays mean the £6.5m project to ‘future-proof’ the highway will finally begin at the end of next month.

The Department for Transport (DfT) pledged a total of £4.5m to the refurbishment of the Manchester Street Viaduct from a pot of money called the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Oldham Council has supplied the remaining £2m. 

Town hall officers explained the works will ensure the flyover remains intact for its projected lifespan of 120 years. The maintenance works will involve waterproofing, joint replacements, concrete repairs, parapet refurbishment, and resurfacing. 

But local drivers have already raised concerns about how the works will be managed, with some worrying about ‘morning and evening traffic chaos’. 
Joel Brayford said: “With the correct traffic management in place, disruption could be reduced to a minimum. However, based on the previous traffic management arrangements that were put in place during the investigation works, I am not so sure.” 

Others hoped the works would ‘not end up like Wellington Bridge’, which took seven months longer than planned to complete, causing more than two years of traffic complications. 

Council officers have assured the public that ‘works are phased in such a way to minimise disruption to local businesses and residents over this period’.