Thousands of drivers in Congleton are set to benefit from faster journeys thanks to a new bypass
The Department for Transport (DfT) has approved the brand new route, and will provide £45m towards the £75m project, which will save drivers on average 7 minutes per journey.
It will make way for a 3.5-kilometre road connecting the A534 west of Congleton with the A536 to the north of the town, improving the journey for around 17,000 motorists alone.
The link road will also directly support more than 1,000 new homes, and will open up 9.3 hectares of business land by 2035 — as well as indirectly supporting an extra 1,475 homes and 10 hectares of employment land to the north of Congleton.
Transport Minister Liz Sugg said: “We are investing record amounts in improving our roads up and down the country to get drivers to shops, friends or work quicker than before.
“This new bypass will not only lead to fewer accidents and cut congestion in Congleton, it will take lorries out of the town centre and improve air quality for its residents.
“The link road will also help create new homes and jobs around Congleton, boosting the local economy.”
Cyclists will also get a better link around Congleton as a cycleway and path will be built alongside the road.
The Leader of Cheshire East Council, Councillor Rachel Bailey, said: “Confirmation of this funding for a much-needed road scheme in Congleton is excellent news for this council and, I am sure, for the people of the town.
“This will significantly improve the quality of life for local people. It will remove congestion from the town centre, unlock key employment and housing sites, boosting the local economy, as well as creating vastly improved connectivity from the Macclesfield area of the borough through to the M6 corridor to Sandbach and Crewe.”
The work will begin in October and end in 2020. Cheshire East is providing £9.63m and £20.8m will come from private developers.
The investment comes as part of a £55m government boost for local road schemes, with money also being spent on improvements around Newhaven Port in Sussex.
