M60 Simister Island: Still time to have your say on new plans for junction 18 scheme

There are still opportunities for people to share views on plans for major improvements to a busy section of the M60.

National Highways is looking at how to ease congestion and make journeys more reliable at the Simister Island Interchange.

More than 90,000 vehicles use the junction as a route to the M60, M62 and M66 on a daily basis, and National Highways is consulting on options for futureproofing the junction to continue supporting local needs and economic growth.

National Highways held a public consultation in the summer of 2020 which included two options for the Simister Island Interchange improvements with feedback favouring the Northern Loop option – a design that included a new link road to the north of the existing junction.

The Northern Loop was then announced as National Highways’ preferred route in January 2021, as it was able to support the scheme objectives of increasing traffic flow and reducing journey times.

 

 

Developing the scheme design has continued over the last two years culminating in the latest six-week public consultation, running until Tuesday 28 March 2023.

A series of in-person events have been arranged as part of this, the first of which took place in late February. The next event taking place in Prestwich this Saturday (11 March), with a further session in Bury to follow on Monday 20 March.

People can also get involved by joining an online webinar on Wednesday 15 March, or by raising any queries during a telephone event on Thursday 23 March. More details on joining these sessions are available at on the scheme’s dedicated webpage.

A consultation report will be compiled using the feedback received and that will then be used as part of National Highways’ Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

This application is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport via the Planning Inspectorate in winter 2023. If the DCO application is successful, construction on the project, which is estimated to cost between £207 million and £340 million, is likely to start in late 2025.

Stewart Jones, National Highways’ Regional Delivery Director for the North West, said: “The Simister Island Interchange is a critical part of our investment in the North West, supporting economic growth by better connecting major cities across the north of England. 

“The scheme is vital in reducing congestion now and in the future, improving safety, improving journey time reliability for all road users and increasing connectivity between local areas.

“We are keen to understand and take account of the views of all our customers, stakeholders and local communities. We’d like to thank those who have got involved thus far, and urge others to come along to our public consultation events to find out more.

“We’re also providing a range of alternative ways to speak to the project team, ask questions and, ultimately, give the most informed response to the public consultation.” 

Dates and locations of further consultation events

Saturday 11 March 2023, 10am to 4pm

• Our Lady of Grace Hall, 11 Fairfax Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1AS

Monday 20 March, 12pm to 8pm

• Unsworth Cricket Club, The Pavilion, 32 Pole Lane, Bury, BL9 8QL

For more information about the scheme or to find out more about the consultation process and how you can get involved, visit www.nationalhighways.co.uk/M60-Simister-Island.