I had an update meeting with National Highways and Balfour Beatty last week about the Bypass (officially now known as the ‘A57 Link Roads’). At present, preliminary work to divert utilities is taking place. The temporary compound behind Hyde Road will be established between now and Christmas, after which the more substantial units will be put in to support the project throughout its construction.
The great news is: it’s finally happening! So many local people have waited for this moment. It is going to be one of the most significant developments in Tameside’s history, and personally means a great deal to me.
The country also needs projects like this. When I talked in the Budget about the need for more long-term investment in infrastructure, this is a good example. When I was meeting my Emirati counterpart in Dubai earlier in the month, he genuinely asked what we were doing to improve the journey between Sheffield and Manchester.
As construction begins, my focus will be working with the local councillors to ensure people are kept well informed and any problems or specific issues are resolved. They’ll be a regular quarterly newsletter from Highways England, and information about the different stages of construction and what it will mean for local traffic etc. There’s also been specific work on making sure things like the school buses will run smoothly.
I’ll share the details of these in full when they come through to me, but in the meantime if any resident has any questions or concerns they need me to raise please get in touch in the usual way at jonathan.reynolds.mp@parliament.uk.