New link road for Macclesfield – Congleton

The first phase of construction work on Congleton’s £90m link road is due to begin in March and residents and businesses have a chance to meet the contractors to learn more about the project.

Some preliminary works will begin as early as this month.

With much of the route spanning open land, the contractors, Graham, say a lot of the work will be hidden from view and traffic disruption kept to a minimum.

Residents, businesses, stakeholders and other interested bodies are invited to attend a ‘meet the contractors’ event at Black Firs Primary School, Longdown Road, Congleton, on 29 January between 5pm and 7.30pm.

The project team will be on hand to explain in detail the construction aspects of the build, how disruption will be minimised and will seek to allay any concerns people may have.

Anyone unable to attend will be able to access a dedicated website, which will be regularly updated throughout the build programme and will include latest information on traffic management arrangements.

Cheshire East Council awarded the construction contract to Graham in July 2018 following a competitive tendering process involving several other bidders.

Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment, said: “I do hope that residents, interested groups and organisations, as well as businesses will take advantage of this opportunity to meet with the contractors and learn more about this exciting scheme. Graham are a well known, highly-reputable construction contractor and I am sure they will deliver the Congleton Link Road as planned and on time.”

The new road, which has been in the pipeline for a number of years, will join the A534 Sandbach Road to the west and the A536 Macclesfield Road to the north, significantly improving travel between Macclesfield, Congleton and the M6.

It will also support the development of an estimated 2,400 new homes and 20 hectares of employment land, with the potential to generate 3,000 jobs by 2035.

The road is due to be open to traffic in late 2020. Cheshire East Council will contribute up to £24m towards the scheme with the balance coming from central government and developer contributions.