Key milestone in bid to ease traffic congestion on major route

A joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Atkins has secured the first major project on the Manchester to Sheffield TransPennine upgrade programme.

The £200m Mottram bypass project is a major element of a £242m package of highway improvements to ease congestion on the 25-mile route connecting the M67, junction four roundabout in the North West to the M1 in Yorkshire.

The team will design and construct the bypass to take traffic away from the village of Mottram in Longdendale, South Yorkshire.

Following further public consultation, a planning application will be submitted next year.

A six-week public consultation is set to be held in the Winter.

If the plans are approved by the Government, then work on the project could start by Spring 2023.

The new dual carriageway would run from the end of the M67 (junction 4) and through a new underpass to the north of Mottram in Longdendale.

Phil Clifton, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s highways business, said: “Balfour Beatty, and our design partners, Atkins, are proud to be delivering this critical project to support economic growth in the North of England.

“We are pleased to contribute to the development of the local area by connecting communities and bringing additional social value through the use of local suppliers and supporting employment opportunities within the area – helping to leave a lasting legacy in the communities in which we work.”

Project manager Andy Dawson said: “We’re pleased to have a contractor on board for the bypass which will take traffic away from Mottram in Longdendale, and provide quicker, safer and more reliable journeys for thousands of drivers every day.”