Local Council leaders, local politicians and MPs have come together to mark the start of environmental works to prepare the site for the £290 million A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road.
Led by Stockport Council and its partners Cheshire East Council and Manchester City Council, this major transport project will see approximately 10km of dual carriageway constructed to improve access across south east Manchester and east Cheshire.
Cllr Sue Derbyshire, Leader of Stockport Council, said: "I am proud to say that after many years of planning, work on this vital transport project is beginning. The benefits this development will bring for residents and businesses across Stockport are significant. For this reason the relief road plays a key role in our 'Investing in Stockport' programme that seeks to ensure our borough is a great place to live, work and visit for all."
Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council and Cabinet Member for strategic outcomes, commented that: "This long-awaited project will provide a real economic boost to Cheshire East and the surrounding region.
"It will provide better connectivity across the north of the Borough and improved access to employment opportunities at Manchester Airport and the Airport City Enterprise Zone.
"Locally, this is also a key step towards being able to deliver the Poynton Relief Road, which will relieve congestion in Poynton and provide improved connectivity to the strategic highway for the northern Macclesfield business area."
Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, said: "This new road will not only link people across the region with the destinations offered from Manchester Airport, but will also connect them with the thousands of new jobs being created at the Airport City Enterprise Zone.
"It will also mean a better highway network through areas such as Wythenshawe, meaning reduced congestion on local roads, shorter journey times for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users, as well as improved road safety for local people.
"The road has also been designed to minimise its impact on the environment, and to reduce any impact both on wildlife and local residents, such as using low noise surfacing to keep road noise to a minimum. Meanwhile, the builders are employing local people on apprenticeships while also using local companies in their supply chain whenever possible."
Work associated with the road is anticipated to take two and a half years with the road being open to traffic by autumn 2017.
Photo: David Rutley MP, CEC Cllr David Brown, Neil Rogers of Carillion Morgan Sindall & Paul Davies of CEC.
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Hopefully it should take a bit of the traffic off Altrincham Road between the M56 and the A34 when complete.
As for finishing the build early on the AE section, I would contend that the estimate of completion was pessimistically calculated, with an enormous amount of slack built in, after the earlier problems with undermining the railway on the Wilmslow section (where the specialist contractor went bust) and the continued objection to the scheme by one of the Alderley parish councils. As it happens the difficult rail crossing at Nursery Lane/Welsh Row was handled by folks who knew exactly what they were doing, the rest of it was easy.