Cheshire East Council has annnounced plans for the biggest investment in 10 years on improving the condition of the borough's roads.
Cheshire East Council will be investing a total of more than £53m in 2025/26 in its transport infrastructure – with a focus on improving the roads people use the most, enhancing bus services and providing more and better routes for those walking, wheeling or cycling.
This includes the council's own investment of £14.4m for activity this year. Government funding of more than £38.6m includes Transport Grant of £7.75m, which will be used for a range of transport improvements, plus a £5.4m Local Bus Grant, and up to £5.5m additional Government funding for highways maintenance works.
Councillor Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: "This investment will deliver real improvements that people will see and feel in their daily lives – spending money where it will have the greatest impact.
"Whether it's smoother roads, better bus connections, or safer routes for walking and cycling. We're committed to making Cheshire East a better place to live, work, and travel through safer, greener, and more accessible transport options."
Over the next 12 months, the council will:
- Deliver the biggest level of investment in 10 years in improving the condition of roads across the borough – prioritising road safety and the routes that make the most difference to people.
- Complete a programme of schemes that will see key A-roads across the borough treated – including the A530 Middlewich Road in Wistaston, the A534 Congleton Road (between M6 J17 and Arclid traffic lights), and the A500 Newcastle Road in Haslington. Works started earlier this month and will continue during summer.
- Carry out complex investigation and repair works along the B5470 Macclesfield Road in Rainow, which was closed due to a landslip following a significant amount of rainfall. The council understands how frustrating this closure is for residents and businesses and is working hard to reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Complete phase one of a 1.5-mile walking and cycling route between Wilmslow town centre and Handforth, along the existing B5358 Manchester Road. The scheme improves safety by separating the route from traffic and giving greater priority for pedestrians and cyclists at junctions. It will also include a new pedestrian crossing at the junction with Station Road.
- Repair and reconstruct a collapsed section of the Mill House Bridge on the A523 Manchester Road, Adlington, as well as replace the bridge over Waterless Brook along the B5391 Pickmere Lane in Tabley, which had to be demolished earlier year.
- Continue and enhance the council's '16-19 Bus Saver' discount scheme for young people aged 16 to 19, who live in Cheshire East.
- Carry out upgrades at bus stops to improve the journey experience bus passengers.
- Continue the Silk Town Ticket trial until March next year. The multi-operator weekly bus ticket allows passengers to travel on any of the bus services provided by four different operators within the trial area using a single ticket.
- Extend the demand responsive 'Go-Too' bus service to the south and west of Nantwich.
Cllr Goldsmith added: "Our priority is to keep Cheshire East moving and help people to get from A to B – whatever form of transport they use.
"Clearly, despite the significant investment we will make this year, we still don't have enough money to do everything we'd like to do. This is especially true for roads maintenance.
"We will continue to push the case for more and sustained government funding for our highways network and prioritise where we make investment – focusing on using the right treatment, in the right place at the right time."
All annual planned highway schemes for 2025-2026 are viewable on the council's online interactive mapping system: cheshireeast.gov.uk/roadrepairprogramme.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
We cannot be confident that Wilmslow streets and roads will see fewer potholes by 2027, unless a CEC Cllr provides us with further and better particulars.
Finally extensive coverage of the Ukraine war on tv shows many good surface quality roads and streets in towns and countryside. Makes you think!
Fix it. Once and for all.
Instead we all just end up going round in circles about it!
However, decades of this chronic under investment by central government is now showing. Many roads are reaching the end of their life and need extensive resurfacing. But if you keep blaming councils for this decline, then our MP’s will keep siphoning off the money.
The new Labour government is now keeping 96%, so it is an improvement. But it’s not the major investment needed to really make a difference. The resurfacing of the A34 recently was on a section not done last year and will provide 5 years of pothole free driving. It something we should be doing on far, far more of our roads. But the money never gets to councils to pay for it.
The Manchester Road cycle scheme is funded by the government department Active Travel England. They will pay for new cycle lanes but not for potholes though and with two cycling fatalities there in recent years, it is also a road safety priority. Work on it should start next month during the summer holidays.
Finally, the Department for Transport is creating new league tables of all UK councils road conditions and maintenance schemes. Cheshire East is likely to come in the top third of the table. This won’t improve our roads though but it will finally show how Cheshire East efficiently manages the limited money it gets.
So, the next time an MP blames the council for the state of our roads, ask them what they did with the 97% of the money they took from you to use them.
Best regards
Mark
Cllr Mark Goldsmith
Residents of Wilmslow