Cheshire East continues fight for £96m Middlewich Eastern Bypass
Refusing to back down, the local authority has resubmitted its final business case to national government for the 1.6-mile single carriageway – despite losing match funding from the axed HS2 Northern leg.
The Middlewich Eastern Bypass is meant to alleviate congestion at the A54 and A533 junction. It will do this by creating a two-way carriageway. Access to the road would be from two new roundabout junctions, one off of Pochin Way and the other at Booth Lane. There would also be a bridge built over the Trent and Mersey Canal and another over the Sandbach to Northwich railway line.
Cheshire East’s plans also include provision for a combined cycleway and footpah.
Cheshire East has been campaigning for the Middlewich Eastern Bypass since 2017. The project is “shovel ready”, according to Cllr Mark Goldsmith, chair of the highways and transport committee at Cheshire East Council.
Planning permission has been granted, contractors appointed, and statutory orders secured, he pointed out.
Finances have been the primary reason for the hold-up in delivery, ever since compulsory purchase orders were signed off three years ago. The Department for Transport had initially agreed to support the scheme with a £48.5m grant from its large local major grant funding programme in 2021.
However, since then the costs have increased from £74m to £96m. Match funding from the development of HS2 was meant to help lessen the financial blow, however, with the demise of that scheme, Cheshire East has been left in a lurch. Now, more government money is required.
A business case had been submitted in October, with the council optimistic it would hear back before the end of 2023. Instead, a request came in April for the council to elaborate on the project’s overall value. This newest business case aims to squash any doubts in the minds of those at DfT.
Goldsmith made his case: “On Friday, we submitted a robust business case to government that clearly demonstrates why the bypass is fundamental to our growth ambitions for Middlewich and why its significant benefits will extend well beyond the town itself…
“By improving the highway network, it will improve connectivity to major employment sites and enhance the region’s attractiveness for further development – unlocking up to 1,950 new homes and employment land and potentially creating up to 6,500 jobs in the local area.
“It will also improve the infrastructure of the wider Mid Cheshire towns, including Crewe, Winsford, and Northwich, and improve access to major transport links, including the M6 motorway.”
As for those benefits for residents of Middlewich, the bypass would result in less air pollution, reduced noise levels, and an improved bus service.
If all goes to plan, the business case will be reviewed by the DfT’s transport investment committee in November. Once a recommendation has been made, it will be up to secretary of state for transport Louise Haigh to give the final go-ahead.
Goldsmith said a decision is needed quickly.
“Delaying this scheme further will have major financial implications for the council,” he said. “To ensure that it remains achievable, our ambition is to receive full business case approval from government later this year, or early 2025, so that we could start on site in spring 2025 and the bypass can be open by autumn 2027.”
What does this achieve other than duplicating the M6 between J17 and J18? It only seems to relieve traffic between a pair of small towns; Northwich (as it doesn’t have a motorway junction) and Sandbach. Everywhere else there is more direct roads. Wouldn’t it make more sense to build an M6 junction near Lach Dennis linking to Broken Cross? Then you have additionally removed the traffic from the M6 driving through Middlewich to reach Northwich!
By Watcherzero
I’ve never really understood this project. Most HGVs exiting at junction 18 are heading towards Winsford Industrial Estate so will still have to drive through Middlewich. If you are heading south towards Crewe, you would exit at junctions 16 or 17. It would make far more sense to bypass the north of the town and, in doing so, release much needed land for housing.
By Anonymous
To Anonymous @ 7:58 Middlewich is in Cheshire East, almost all the land to the north of the town is in Cheshire West and Chester, although the two councils claim to work together this is clearly not the case. Much of the land along a theoretical northern bypass route is in the Dane Valley flood plain and would not necessarily be suitable for housing development, some of the land on the Winsford side may have been suitable, but green gap policies could have interfered with this prospect, as did until recently the presence of the HS2 corridor. Lets hope that this funding application is successful. If it fails again, I fear Cheshire East will have to write off circa £20 million in abortive expenses which is hardly going to help their already dire financial situation.
By Anonymous
Most towns/ villages in Cheshire East need this investment. Nantwich/ Holmes Chapel being the others of real note. the congestion and saftey concern of these large HGV’s going past local areas is a real issue.
By Anonymous
Road building has never reduced traffic levels. I have yet to come across a case where a bypass has reduced traffic in a town centre. From Beverley to Birdlip, Lincoln to Leominster – these create not relieve traffic. This will be another 96 million thrown away on council vanity bypass projects, but a nice contract for our well looked-after roadbuilding contractors
By M. I. Grant
Re : M I Grant. Excellent ! You’ve summed up infrastructure structure projects in this country in a nutshell.
The road lobby rules and councils and government will do everything they can to back them.
By Peter Chapman
To M I Grant and Peter Chapman, it seem to me you’d rather have us living in the 1950s, with infrastructure that is even less fit for purpose than our already woefully inadequate transport system…
By Grump Old Git
More congestion and pollution for sandbach.
By Anonymous
What a waste of time and resources….it’s a road to nowhere all it going to do is impact other roads badly…around the same area….think again please
By Philip Moss
I thought CEC were struggling financially?
By Mp
of course new roads ease congestion, and boost economies
By Anonymous
Hopefully CEC won’t end up bankrupting themselves and having to sell all their cultural assets like Brum
By Anonymous
Some people seem to have an old naive understanding that roads like this termed a by-pass aren’t really for traffic to by-pass a location. Although there’s some benefit to local roads such as Lewin St and Booth Lane in Middlewich. The real reason is to release new areas of land for development either industrial or residential. Just look at the Congleton West Link Road!
By Drew
Why have a bridge over the canal when the canal changes sides yards away,
By Anonymous