Southern Trans-Pennine improvements

As part of our multi-million investment we’re carrying out a range of improvements along the A57, A628 and A61/A616 Westwood roundabout to improve journeys and safety.

We’re responsible for motorways and major A-roads including the A57, A616 and A628 between Manchester and Sheffield. As part of our multi-million investment we’re carrying out a range of improvements along the A57, A628 and A61/A616 Westwood roundabout to improve journeys and safety for the thousands of drivers who use them every day.

We’re delivering £15 billion of investment on our road network described in the government’s Road Investment Strategy. This includes the Trans-Pennine upgrade. As part of this work we’re increasing capacity at A61 Westwood roundabout and carrying out technology improvements along the A628.

And we're planning on creating two new link roads at the western end of the A57/A628 route, to provide a dual carriageway bypass around Mottram in Longdendale.

We’ll also be carrying out further schemes along the A628 as part of our maintenance improvements in Yorkshire and the Humber.

As well as this, we're undertaking the Trans-Pennine Connectivity, Safety and Resilience Study which will consider a number of future improvements along the corridor between the end of the M67 in Mottram and M1 junctions 35a and 36.

A summary of the schemes is below. Please scroll down for current and upcoming schemes in the area.

Project information

Background

National Highways, alongside its partners in the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for the North (TfN), has been looking at ways to improve the Southern Pennines Corridor, which connects Greater Manchester and Sheffield, two major economic and populations centres of the North.

The section of the corridor between the end of the M67 in Mottram and M1 junctions 35a and 36 is impacted by a number of issues. These include challenging topography, congestion, delays, resilience, severe collisions and weather-related incidents. Local communities are also impacted by severance, poor air quality and noise. This has resulted in a legacy of poor connectivity between Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.

A number of studies have been undertaken over the last five to ten years to improve road connectivity between Sheffield and Manchester, including an investigation of the potential for improvements to the corridor via a tunnelled highway. The studies found that, although the strategic case for a tunnel was strong, the significant delivery costs meant that none of the potential solutions were affordable. In addition to this, the tunnel would not avoid impacts on the Peak District National Park, with a risk of significant environmental harm. Therefore, the studies have concluded that a tunnelled solution should not be progressed.

Moving forward, National Highways is investigating a number of smaller-scale, standalone options in a new study. The Trans-Pennine Connectivity, Safety and Resilience Study aims to alleviate the known issues on the worst performing sections of the route, with a greater focus on safety, resilience and reliability.

This will build on the good understanding of the current performance and local concerns that have been developed through previous work. The study will also consider active travel and public transport improvements in more detail, and give us an opportunity to consider more recent emerging evidence, including how travel patterns and priorities have changed in recent years.

Progress to date

In 2022 we undertook a detailed review of work to date to help shape the approach to, and define the objectives of, the study and the types of options that will be assessed in more detail. Investing time in considering these factors early is key in ensuring the correct focus of the study and its timely success in driving forward new investment in the region.

In the main study phase, we will seek to identify options that could help address the known poorly performing areas of the route. As part of our work in this phase, we will assess these options to determine their suitability and performance against agreed objectives, leading to a recommendation on a package of measures which can be taken forward. The types of options we expect to consider include:

Improved access and facilities for cyclists, walkers, horse riders and wheelers
Improved access to public transport, including better integration with bus and rail services
Improvements to, and integration of, road and rail freight transport
Measures to improve road safety and resilience
Upgraded technology
Environmental enhancements, such as climate adaptations
Increase to road capacity on specific sections of the network

Throughout the study process we will look to engage with partners and stakeholders, building on the engagement undertaken for previous studies in the area.

Next Steps

We are aiming to conclude the results of the study by Autumn 2023. Once completed, the recommendations will be considered by the Department for Transport. The scale of this study means that any potential schemes identified will likely be subject to further decisions regarding investment and delivery in RIS3 (2020-2025) and/or future road investment programmes.

Documents

Trans-Pennine Connectivity, Safety and Resilience study overview

For all enquiries please email: TransPennineConnectivityStudy@nationalhighways.co.uk

We’ll be reducing congestion and improving the flow of traffic for drivers through Westwood roundabout in Tankersley, Sheffield. This will also reduce congestion and improving the reliability of peoples journeys between the Manchester and Sheffield city regions.

Our improvements along the A628 will also help to improve safety for drivers and allow them to make more effective decisions through the use of electronic message signs.

These series of improvements are being carried out as part of a £5m investment in this vital Trans-Pennine route. This work which includes renewing retaining walls, barriers and drainage and resurfacing work will create safer and smoother journeys.

There is currently poor connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield city regions, suppressing economic activity which will only worsen if significant improvements are not made to the corridor.

Congestion and community severance are an issue in built-up areas along the route, in particular in Mottram, but also in Hollingworth and Tintwistle as a result of queuing traffic stretching back and blocking junctions. The introduction of a bypass at Mottram will reduce traffic flows through the village, which will help to ease issues of congestion, noise pollution, air pollution and severance.

View A57 Trans-Pennine upgrade project page