The major works which council bosses said would improve capacity and decreased congestion on Regent Road have now been finished.
Regent Road is one of the key arterial routes into the city through Salford. The route takes in four major junctions that council bosses say have now been improved to increase traffic flow, reduce journey times and limit idling in congested traffic, that will improve air quality.
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said journey times have significantly improved through the Regent Road route following the phased opening of the new road layouts.
The Regent Road junctions include:
– Dawson Street, Regent Road, Trinity Way and Water Street (Manchester)
– Regent Road and Ordsall Lane (Salford)
– Regent Road and Oldfield Street (Salford)
– Mancunian Way, the A56 (Chester Road) and the A5607 roundabout (Manchester)
The key elements of the improve programme include:
– Fully pedestrianised crossings at all junctions
– Improved cycling access through improved crossings, including larger islands at key junctions
– Extra lanes at each of the four key junctions to increase capacity
– Dynamic signals that allows signal times to be changed to improve traffic flow
– Prevent loading at any time on Trinity Way – Water Street junction to aid traffic flow
Works were carried out during extended weekday shifts, overnight and at weekends to finish the work as quickly as possible and limit disruption to motorists and residents.
For a full summary of the works click here.
Associated works to Hampson Street, East Ordsall Lane and Middlewood Street off Trinity Way are on-going.
The improvement works have been carried out jointly by Manchester City Council and Salford City Council, funded by the Government’s Local Growth Fund. The scheme was agreed as a Greater Manchester priority to reduce congestion.
Councillor Angeliki Stogia, Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Transport for Manchester City Council, said:
“First of all, a big thank you to our residents as well as all road users for your patience while we completed this major project. Although disruption is inevitable during improvement schemes of this size, the project will deliver a real improvement for drivers, and pedestrians.
“The team working on the project have done so having to navigate major challenges that have been out of our control, not least this summer’s extremely poor weather and the need to replace the main contractor during the project. Despite this, the works have been completed as quickly as possible, while limiting disruption to residents and road users.
“We are committed to delivering essential schemes that will provide lasting benefits for all of our road users and keep our city moving. In Regent Road, I believe we have done that and have improved the route for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians for years to come.”
Councillor Roger Jones, Executive Support for Transport at Salford City Council, said:
“The roadworks are now complete, which is fantastic news.
“We understand a lot of people had to suffer while the roadworks took place but it is important we maximise the capacity of our roads for the long-term. We can now start to feel the benefit of the improvements so thank you for your patience.”
Peter Boulton, TfGM’s Head of Highways, said:
“Now that the Regent Road element of the MSIRR scheme is complete, motorists will start to experience improved journey times and better traffic flow, especially during the morning and evening peaks.”
Also published on Medium.