A £2.35 million budget for a highways scheme planned to ease congestion close to Omega has been approved.

Omega local highways phase 2b aims to deliver improvements to a part of the network located at the junction of the A57 Liverpool Road and A5280 Lingley Green Avenue.

It centres around the enlargement of an existing traffic signal-controlled junction to provide additional capacity to the highway network, dealing with existing peak hour congestion and ‘future-proofing’ the junction for the predicted traffic growth as the planned development in the area is completed.

Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet approved the budget and gave the green light to the awarding of the construction contract during Monday’s meeting.

Building work could begin in March, with the scheme expected to be completed in August.

The budget totals £2.35 million – with £1.27 million coming from the Department for Transport national productivity investment fund, £985,000 from Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and £95,000 from the council.

Council leader Cllr Russ Bowden says the scheme forms part of a wider £100 million programme of investment in highways infrastructure since 2016.

The Labour politician said: “It’s not just about the council putting its hand in its pocket but actually demonstrating to partners that we can deliver schemes, that we will do it on time, to budget.

“It’s really important and I think we are getting a reputation for doing exactly that.”

Cllr Bowden also told members he believes the town’s delivery on major projects is a significant ‘unofficial reason’ as to why the Department for Transport is planning to release £142.5 million for the proposed Western Link scheme, which is estimated to cost £212.7 million.

He added: “They know we have a track record of delivery and actually putting these schemes into action in the timeframe that we say.”