Manchester-Sheffield road tunnel to be shorter under revised plans

Revised plans for a road tunnel between Sheffield and Manchester have been put forward up as part of a transport plan for the north.

The new Trans-Pennine tunnel would be shorter than the 20-miles currently proposed and include major upgrades to the A628, BBC News reported.

Transport for the North (TfN) said the new route would also be cheaper to construct and the revised plan will be presented to the Government by the end of next year.

Last year, the Department for Transport unveiled five possible routes for a multibillion-pound tunnel to link the M60 motorway east of Manchester to the M1 north of Sheffield.

The revised plans include a shorter tunnel starting within the existing Woodhead Pass route and improvements to roads between Liverpool and Hull.

A spokeswoman for Transport for the North said the original proposal was shown to be too expensive and did not address the network beyond Sheffield.