Oldham Road bridge given a facelift

The newly painted bridge on Oldham Road

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Drivers and pedestrians approaching Rochdale town centre along Oldham Road are seeing improvements to the appearance of the street.

The latest stage of work to improve the Oldham Road corridor, south of Rochdale town centre, has seen a makeover of the railway bridge and new paving laid outside the shops on The Landings and renovation work carried out to the railings.

The Oldham Road railway bridge, which for years advertised a long-ago closed car dealership has been painted, with new lettering and a new graphic. The walls of the bridge have also been painted and new lighting will be installed to make the street safer and more attractive for pedestrians.

The paving along The Landings has also been replaced and more than 300 metres of railings have been cleaned and repainted.

The improvement works, which have been led by Rochdale Development Agency, complement other environmental improvements already undertaken along the Oldham Road corridor including the demolition of vacant buildings and new landscaping.

Steven Fairhurst, manager of Stablefold Fencing whose shop is on The Landings said "I am really pleased with the work carried out. The area outside our shop now looks really neat and tidy. The work has given the area a real lift which can only be good for the businesses along The Landings"

Gary Davies, Senior Project Officer at Rochdale Development Agency said “Oldham Road is an important corridor linking Rochdale town centre and Kingsway Business Park. We wanted to improve the quality of the environment to enhance the setting of our future development sites and support the regeneration of the wider area. The bridge was starting to look tired and out of date and the painting work has made a massive improvement to the appearance of the area”.

The projects have been joint funded by Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, the European Regional Development Fund and Rochdale Council

David Malpass, Head of the European Programme, said: “I'm pleased that the improvements are making a real difference to the appearance of Oldham Road which is an important economic gateway into Rochdale. The work being done here will enhance perceptions of Oldham Road and in turn help to stimulate private sector investment, creating jobs and securing the economic future of this area.”