Oldham progresses £6.5m viaduct revamp
The borough’s cabinet has accepted a £4.5m grant from the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, covering nearly 70% of the cost of refurbishing the Manchester Street Viaduct.
The revamp of the Manchester Street Viaduct has an overall budget of £6.5m, with £2m allocated from Oldham’s local highways maintenance benefaction between 2024 and 2026. The decision to accept the central government’s grant was made last week by Oldham Council’s cabinet.
Repair works aim to extend the life of the Manchester Street Viaduct, which was constructed in the 1970s, and ensure it meets its design working life of 120 years.
Surveys and site investigations will be conducted prior to the bridge’s refurbishment, which will involve concrete repairs and the replacement of deck waterproofing to prevent deterioration.
The project is a strategic maintenance scheme, part of a business case submitted by Transport for Greater Manchester in September 2021 to the goverment. The Department for Transport confirmed the plans on 29 July last year, when they were sent to Oldham’s mayor for approval.
Oldham Council will now commence designing the scheme, with hopes to complete design development in the 2023-2024 financial year.
Construction work for the Manchester Street Viaduct refurbishment is expected to begin in 2025, following a three-stage procurement process.
A design consultant will be procured with a contract valued up to £700,000, and an ESI contractor with a value up to £300,000, through either a mini-competition or a full tender process.
If deemed suitable, the North West Contractor Framework will be used to procure a contractor for the final construction phase, worth up to £5.5m.
Commenting on the importance of infrastructure to residents, Cllr Hannah Roberts, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “The viaduct is one of our most used sections of road and is beginning to show its age, which is why we asked for this funding.
“When the work is finished, the viaduct will fit for purpose for years to come.”
Manchester City Council is currently running a public consultation on the refurbishment of Deansgate, also a part of the City Region Sustainable Travel Settlement. The road could be transformed to improve its use for sustainable modes of transport.
Whatever happened to the planned Metrolink tunnel in Oldham?
By UnaPlanner
@unaplanner do you mean the old alignment it took whilst the line through the town centre was being built? Were there new plans for this?
By Levelling Up Manager
The poorest designed roundabout in oldham
By Anonymous
@Unaplanner, it opened for two years using the old rail tunnel before the town centre route was completed. It would have cost too much to refurbish the tunnels (reline the life expired brick walls with concrete then excavate down to lower the track bed to maintain the same tunnel diameter) which is why it wasn’t kept as an alternate route.
By Anonymous