Airport relief road goes out to tender
STOCKPORT Council has started its search for a contractor to deliver the relief road between Manchester Airport and the A6.
It is tendering the design and construction of a six-mile stretch of dual carriageway between the A6 at Hazel Grove and the M56, incorporating the existing section of the A555.
It would bypass congested areas such as Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Gatley and Heald Green and provide greater capacity on alternatives routes, including the M60. A new pedestrian and cycle route would also be created along its entire length.
The contract is valued at £100m-£140m but total project costs have been previously estimated at £290m. The government has commited £165m, with £29m being provided by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund and £7m by Manchester Airport.
The remainder would be provided through Greater Manchester’s £1.2bn City Deal with the government, which allows the city-region to keep a proportion of tax revenues created through expected increases in economic activity.
A business case for the road has suggested it could generate more than 5,000 new jobs and create up to £2.5bn worth of increased economic activity over a 60-year period.
The work is due to start in October and complete in 2017. The deadline for expressions of interest is February 15.
