Active travel improvement works are set to begin along Deansgate next week, aiming to encourage more people to walk, wheel or cycle, improve infrastructure to create linked-up routes throughout the city, improve safety, and reduce the overall amount of traffic going into the city centre. The Council has confirmed that works will start in Deansgate and Whitworth Street West from Monday 5th August with work anticipated to run into the spring of 2025.
What changes will take place on Deansgate?
In 2023, the Council shared initial plans for how improvements could be made to Deansgate as well as Whitworth Street West as part of the City Centre Active Travel Fund. With this in mind, a range of new changes will be brought in over the coming months across three junctions along Deansgate.
These will include:
- Segregated cycleways
- A new bus gate on Whitworth Street West
- Improved controlled pedestrian crossings
- Better junctions to allow cyclists safe transit
- A rain garden
- Additional pedestrian zebra crossings
When and where will the improvement works on Deansgate take place?
From August 5, improvement works will start on three junctions around Deansgate:
- Deansgate/Quay Street/Peter St
- Deansgate/Whitworth St West
- Chester Rd/Great Jackson St
There will be night-time road closures (between 7pm and 4am) in place to facilitate resurfacing between the junctions of Quay Street and Liverpool Road, starting from the evening of Tuesday 6 August, until the morning of Friday 9 August.
As well as temporary traffic restrictions being in place over the course of the scheme, a permanent change will be made from the beginning of works, with a permanent one-way system being put in place for southbound traffic between Quay Street and Liverpool Road.
Work of this scale will naturally cause some disruption and potential delays for motorists. The scheme will be routinely monitored during its progress, allowing the Council to adapt and make interventions based on the level of disruption, and help manage the network as effectively as possible.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport said: “For several years we have made great strides in improving the transport links in our city centre. Walking, wheeling and cycling have become key pillars in our overall transport strategy through schemes like this one in Deansgate, we aim to embed that ethos even more across our city centre.
“In other places throughout Manchester we’ve already seen the benefits of improving infrastructure in this way and I am confident we will see that replicated on Deansgate in the coming months.”
You can find information on alternative routes to use whilst the Deansgate improvements works are underway here, and on the map provided.
You can see a full list of the changes being made via the dedicated Deansgate website here.