Bypass could be built to ease Lower Stretton congestion misery

Warrington Borough Council (WBC) has examined options to alleviate traffic woes in the area following concerns from Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid, Stretton Parish Council, councillors and residents.

The highway – which has been estimated at costing more than £7.5 million to build – would connect Northwich Road with Tarporley Road to the south of junction 10 of the M56.

The council confirmed assessment work for its options is 'nearing completion'.

A spokesman said: "In response to concerns raised by local ward councillors, Stretton Parish Council, residents and Faisal Rashid MP about the impact of traffic and in particular heavy goods vehicles travelling through Lower Stretton on the A559 Northwich Road, there has been an examination of what highway options are available to alleviate this.

"This has included what improvements could be made to the A559 Northwich Road itself.

"Additionally, an alternative option which has been examined is the option of constructing a short bypass of Lower Stretton, which would connect the A559 Northwich Road with the A49 Tarporley Road to the south of Junction 10 on the M56.

"This would remove through traffic from the A559 Northwich Road through Lower Stretton.

"Assessment work for these options is nearing completion and the outcomes will be communicated to ward councillors, Stretton Parish Council, Faisal Rashid MP and residents in the near future."

The authority has also revealed it missed out on in its bid to secure Homes England funding for road improvements, which would have addressed congestion issues in the south of the town.

The spokesman said: "This bid was submitted to Homes England in September 2017 – and the council was informed by Homes England in March 2018 that this bid was not successful.

"The road improvements included in the bid did not include any crossing of the Manchester Ship Canal, or use of the former rail line which passes through Latchford.

"The council will continue to examine all possible sources of external funding for transport improvement schemes across the borough to build on the success it has had in recent years in securing funding for schemes such as M62 junction eight, Centre Park link, Warrington West Station and Warrington East phases two and three."

Labour's Mr Rashid says it is 'clear that action is needed' in Lower Stretton.

He said: "I understand that several options have been considered for the A559 Northwich Road.

"Options relating to the removal of HGVs on this road have already been discounted due to the strong opposition they would receive from neighbouring local authorities, as the road is a main access road to the M56 for Cheshire West.

"Two of the remaining options involve the widening of the carriage way at a cost of around £300,000 and a bypass option, which was the most expensive at a cost of around £7.6 million.

"If the Government provides the necessary funding for a bypass, I would be supportive of this option, and I would of course back the council's bid to Government for this much-needed infrastructure improvement.

"However, if the funding cannot be found from alternative sources, it would be at the discretion of WBC to find the best cost benefit solution to address the issues at hand.

"I sympathise with my constituents who are affected by the disruption caused by HGV traffic on this route and I hope that a long-term solution can be found as soon as possible."

He added: "As Warrington is located in the centre of the Northern Powerhouse, I share many of my constituents' concerns about increases in the volume of traffic, especially over the coming years as economic output generated through the Northern Powerhouse continues to grow.

"I, therefore, believe it is essential that we improve our infrastructure, where necessary, and obtain regional or national funding as appropriate.

"However, I firmly believe that these improvements should not come at a cost to local residents, nor should they come solely from the council's, already drastically reduced, budget."