Stockport Council with its partners Cheshire East and Manchester City councils have already submitted a planning application for the scheme. Subject to planning approval, the 10km of the dual carriageway will connect A6 at Hazel Grove to the eastern end of the existing A555 at Woodford Road, Bramhall and from the western end of the existing A555 at Wilmslow Road, Handforth to Manchester Airport. The engineering works of the road are planned to take place between October 2014 and May 2017 and be completed within two years.
The cost of the construction is estimated to be at £100, £50m to each contractor, which signed the Early Contractor Involvement deal. The total project value is expected to be about £290m.
The proposal for the relief road incorporates an alternative route around heavily congested areas in Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Hazel Grove and Handforth.
The engineering works encompass completion of the detailed design, construction and defects liability maintenance of dual carriageway running from the A6 at Hazel Grove to the Ringway Road / Ringway Road West junction, including an existing section of the A555.
The scheme covers seven new and five improved junctions, four railway crossings and a parallel-shared cycle and pedestrian path.
The improvements in access to south east Manchester and east Cheshire due to the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road are expected to benefit the surrounding communities and boost the local economy, specifically, encouraging the potential growth of Manchester Airport and Airport City along with regions of Stockport, Manchester and Cheshire East.
Cllr Sue Derbyshire, Leader of Stockport Council said: “These are significant steps in the delivery of the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road. Subject to planning approval, we look forward to working closely with Carillion and Morgan Sindall to deliver the scheme, which will improve the local economy and improve lives within Stockport by reducing congestion on local roads.”
The contracts director for the Carillion Morgan Sindall joint venture, Gary Crisp, commented: “We are delighted to have been appointed to support the development of this vital scheme to improve the road network south of Manchester.
“Carillion and Morgan Sindall have an established joint venture history, having worked together successfully on the £209 million Dishforth to Leeming contract to upgrade 22 kilometres of existing A1 which was completed on-time last year.”
The scheme funding has been acquired through a combination of £165 million of specific Department for Transport capital grant, £105 million of additional capital grant funding from the Government via the newly approved Greater Manchester Earn Back model, and £20 million of Local Transport Plan (LTP) funding.
