MEMBERS of the public are being urged to have their say on proposed plans for a new western link road to ease traffic congestion in Warrington which are set to go on display.
Warrington Borough Council is exploring options for a business case for a new link road to the south-west of Warrington, to cut congestion and ease traffic flow.
Six possible route options for the road have been identified and the Council is seeking opinions on these options before submitting a bid for funding to the Department for Transport (DfT).
Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “People know that, as a result of Warrington’s growth and success, there has been a steady rise in local traffic congestion. Our road network faces unique challenges, with existing heavy traffic congestion and limited opportunities for improvement of the highway network.”
Cllr Hans Mundry, executive board member for highways and transportation, said: “We’ve been given funding by Government to develop the case for a potential new link around the south-west of the town which could link the A56 or A5060 Chester Road with the A57 or A562 in Great Sankey.
“If this bid is successful and we receive the funding for a new link road, it is envisaged that this will bring congestion relief to the town centre and enable the development of land that is currently poorly served by road infrastructure.”
“We hope that local people and businesses will participate in the public consultation to share their views on the proposals.”
The consultation begins on Friday 30 June and runs until Friday 28 July. Public exhibitions are taking place over a number of dates, times and locations and will be an opportunity for residents and local businesses to share their views on the potential for a new link road or alternatively, people can give their views online at warrington.gov.uk/westernlink. Consultation documents will be available for people to take away from libraries.
Following this, the business case with the preferred route will then be presented to the DfT in December 2017. If the bid is successful it is expected that construction could begin on the road in the early 2020’s.
Exhibitions will take place on:
Saturday 1 July, 10am – 5pm, Golden Square Shopping Centre
Monday 3 July, 3pm – 8pm, Burtonwood Community Centre
Tuesday 4 July, 3pm – 8pm, Orford Neighbourhood Hub, Jubilee Way
Wednesday 5 July, 3pm – 8pm, Appleton Parish Hall
Thursday 6 July, 3pm – 8pm, Walton Hall
Friday 7 July, 3pm – 8pm, The Peace Centre
Saturday 8 July, 10am – 5pm, Golden Square Shopping Centre
Monday 10 July, 3pm – 8pm, Waterside Inn
Tuesday 11 July, 3pm – 8pm, Winwick Leisure Centre
Wednesday 12 July, 3pm – 8pm, Woolston Neighbourhood Hub
Thursday 13 July, 3pm – 6pm, St John’s Community Church Hall
Friday 14 July, 5pm – 8.30pm, Whittle Hall Community Centre
Saturday 15 July, 10am – 5pm, Golden Square Shopping Centre
Monday 17 July, 3pm – 8pm, Birchwood Leisure Centre
Tuesday 18 July, 4.30pm – 8.30pm, Lymm Village Hall
Wednesday 19 July, 10am – 5pm, Golden Square Shopping Centre
Thursday 20 July, 3pm – 8pm, Kings Community Centre
Friday 21 July, 10am – 5pm, Sainsbury’s Chapelford
The proposed Warrington Waterfront Western Link will provide a new road connection to the south-west of Warrington, connecting the A56 Chester Road with the A57 Sankey Way via a new high level bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal. This will bring much needed congestion relief to the town centre and enable the development of land that’s currently poorly served by road infrastructure.
Previous work has determined various route options across the south-western part of the town that will be investigated further for the Outline Business Case, and there are a number of stages to be worked through, including:
Scheme options appraisal;
Land purchase assessment;
Options costing;
Risk assessment;
Ecological and environmental assessment;
Public consultation;
Flood risk assessment; and
Identification of a preferred scheme option.
There are various benefits and challenges with all of these options and the business case will identify a preferred route after working through each of the above stages.
6 Comments
The reason “Our road network faces unique challenges, with existing heavy traffic congestion and limited opportunities for improvement of the highway network,” has more to do with the collective failure of successive administrations’ (across all parties) to prioritise infrastructure planning and construction, than “Warringtons growth and success.” Instead they all pressed ahead at breakneck speed with their own favoured development/developers and chose to let the infrastructure sort itself out around them. That is why we are now being offered six alternative routes. And, on our heads be it if our traffic woes continue.
The “steady rise in local traffic congestion”, often (and increasingly so due to our creaking infrastructure) results in daily gridlock.
The lack of a well thought out and developing infrastructure plan also allows smart developers like Satnam to run rings round WBC when it comes to planning arguments on the potential adverse impacts of their proposed developments.
Wise words but were you ever part of the decision making process either at the Town Hall or at any of the consultations where you offered you expertise?
If the latter why did they turn your advice down?
Anyway I thought that this was done and dusted we di seem to be going backwards and entering a chaotic infrastructure a lot like the political situation we are currently in – it must be the times we live in.
Never been part of the decision making process in any capacity Geoff, despite what others would have you believe.
That said the secondary, and at times more like tertiary, priority given by successive administrations to our infrastructure has been with us for decades, like a slow train crash. Even now amidst this hype about funding for “improvements that will bring congestion relief to the town centre…” The words of Hans Mundy (he who claimed selective parking charges “will increase shoppers’ experiences”) show the real reasons for the latest promised infrastructure ‘improvements’ are “to enable the development of land that is currently poorly served by road infrastructure.”
Regrettable though the present political chaotic scene is, it is comparatively recent and will hopefully be short lived. Whereas the chaos we call our infrastructure has been the cause for concern for very much longer and shows little sign of improving. It certainly has not been done and dusted. At the current rate of progress our children and childrens’ children will still be suffering the consequences.
What made you think it was ‘done and dusted’ Geoff? Are you telling us the decisions have already been made? If so, what’s the point of public consultations?
This sounds rather like the town centre regeneration project where the decisions were made and Bobb Bar was claiming credit for having dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on the contracts years before any public consultations were organised!
Who was part of the decision making process at the town hall when decisions to go ahead with the town centre regeneration were made – despite the fact CABE had refused to support the plans?
Who has been part of the decision making process at the town hall when decisions have been made re these supposed infrastructure plans were discussed?
We have 60 or so, borough councillors, how many of them even know what is going on? and if not why not?
I have been reading and following a great deal of the comments on this subject for some time. I think that in terms of the route decided, the Council (as with ANY Government Body) will do whatever it wants irrespective of Cost to US (the General Public and the People who put them in Power).
No matter which colour route is finally used, there will be a negative impact on people across the area. You can guarantee it will not effect any Councillors who are directly behind it.
In the early 90’s in used to live in Elgin Avenue in a house that backed onto some, then waste land. There was a great deal of talk relating to the building of a Nursing Home (which now exists on the land) and also a road from Chester/Gainsborough Road across the Mersey to Great Sankey making a link road bypassing the Town Centre. This was over 20 years ago and it is now finally being put into action irrespective of the cost on the Residents of the Town.
The tales we are also now seeing relating to the New Runcorn Bridge are a further disgrace as people will avoid either of the Toll Bridges where possible and cause havoc on the roads of Warrington that this route is supposed to built to relieve?
Warrington Town Planners, you are an utter disgrace, I hope that you have been sufficiently ‘rewarded’ to ease your conscience (as if you have one) and sleep soundly in your beds at night).
The old phrase/word NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) springs to mind when I think of you as a department.
Rant Over.
why was not the yellow route picked all the others have houses and firms yellow route only has houses also it would take more traffic coming from Widnes / Liverpool before it hit the dual carriageway but then again the yellow route was only put in to keep everyone else happy even tho you were never going to ever use the yellow route also you must of had an idea that lots of people were not going to pay to cross the Runcorn bridge so what do the brains of britain in the town hall do “i know lads lets build it after the bridge is done cos i think the traffic might be a bit more heavy” DOH.what we need is a council with a couple of brains cos this shower aint got any were the hell do they get these IDIOTS from not from this planet.