Work to resurface Ashton Old Road is set to start on Monday, as part of a major project to improve the standard of three key routes into Manchester city centre.
Manchester City Council has secured £5m from the Department for Transport’s Local Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund, which will help to fund projects for Ashton Old Road, Oldham Road and Barlow Moor Road within the next two years. The work will involve resurfacing and reconstruction, plus drainage repair and renewal for the three arterial routes.
Ashton Old Road will be resurfaced between the Mancunian Way and its boundary with Tameside, with work due to start on Monday 21 September and to take approximately nine weeks, weather permitting.
To minimise disruption, the work has been split into six phases:
Phase 1 – Mancunian Way to Viaduct Street. Work is due to start on Monday 21 September and finish on Sunday 4 October
Phase 2 – Viaduct Street to Kay Street (Monday 5 October - Monday 19 October)
Phase 3 – Alan Turing Way Junction (Tuesday 20 October - Saturday 31 October)
Phase 4 – Nuttall Street to Bartlett Street (Sunday 1 November - Thursday 5 November)
Phase 5 – Bartlett Street to Victoria Street (Friday 6 November - Tuesday 10 November)
Phase 6 – Victoria Street to the city boundary (Wednesday 11 November - Sunday 22 November)
All dates presented are dependent on weather conditions allowing the work to progress as anticipated.
In order to undertake the first phase of resurfacing, from the Mancunian Way to Viaduct Street, a series of temporary road closures and one-way systems will be introduced from Monday 21 September. The eastbound carriageway will be closed to all vehicles and signed diversions will be in place. Westbound traffic flows will be maintained.
Once complete, work will switch to the westbound carriageway. During this part of the works, Manchester-bound traffic will run on the eastbound side of the carriageway, with eastbound traffic following signed diversions. Bus lanes will be suspended for the duration of the work and will be open to all traffic at all times.
Letters have been sent to local residents and businesses, to inform them of the traffic-management arrangements which will be in place to ensure the safety of the workforce, while maintaining access for properties and businesses.
The £5m funding has been allotted to Manchester from a total government package of £93.4m made available for local authorities to bid for, by putting forward schemes which could make a real difference for road users. Manchester City Council has contributed an additional £1.33m towards the programme of works.
Since 2017, the council has been progressing a five-year Highways Investment Programme, which will see £80m spent on resurfacing and preventative work for roads across the whole city. All of the city’s roads have been surveyed by engineers and those assessed as being in the most need of repair are being tackled as a priority, with work concentrated in different areas of the city at different times to minimise disruption and ensure value for money.
Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport, Councillor Angeliki Stogia, said: “It’s vital that we continue to invest significantly in the future of our highways network and this extra funding will complement our ongoing citywide highways programme, by facilitating major projects to resurface three of Manchester’s busiest roads.
“While the benefits of this essential work will be felt in the long-term, we know that any such programme will inevitably lead to some disruption in the short-term. We thank all road users, residents and businesses affected for bearing with us and will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum, while keeping in touch with local residents and businesses throughout the programme.”