Salford seeks contractor for Gore Street upgrade

The council aims to start procurement for the Gore Street connection, a scheme to improve walking and cycling provision around Salford Central rail station and New Bailey, with a contractor set to be announced in August.

Gore Street runs between Trinity Way and New Bailey Street, between Salford Central Station and UKLP’s 375-apartment complex, designed by OMI Architects. 

The council hopes to integrate the surrounding developments, including English Cities Fund’s New Bailey office development and the £700m Middlewood Locks scheme, by opening up the railway arches between New Bailey and Chapel Street – which the council calls a “significant barrier”. 

The £800,000 project would be funded by the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, a £160m pot from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. However, a full business case, expected to be submitted by the council this September, is required in order to access the funding. 

A contractor will be selected from the Manchester City Council Highways and Infrastructure Construction Works Framework which includes Interserve, John Sisk, Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try. 

Once a contractor is in place, work is scheduled to begin in January. The council expects work to complete by April 2021.