Major road works in and around Salford Quays cause traffic distress for drivers and residents alike.
On-going work at the intersection of Trafford Road and The Quays has resulted in huge delays for residents of the area.
The aim of the work is to reduce traffic jams and provide better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
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Salford Quays is now accessed via Broadway and detours are signposted.
It is believed that some of the work will continue through November.
The delays were not aided by recent Metrolink work, including on Trafford Road, which was unplanned and overrun.
Salford Quays residents say the works blocked a main entrance to the site.
A spokesman for the Salford Quays Community Forum used social media to express his “horror” at the problem.
The group said, “We are appalled to hear that one of the two core entrances to the quays will open from Mon. No notification / apology, no knowledge of the chaos or stress it will cause for residents.
“It’s been hell for months and it’s getting worse now.”
Mark Riding, who lives in Salford Quays, said, “For two weeks, I had queues outside my bedroom window from before 9am to after 11pm most days.
“All the traffic came through a double set of traffic lights both in and out of the quays and was basically barely moving.
“Whenever I left my apartment, it took 20 to 40 minutes just to get the car off The Quays Road.”
The work sparked outrage
(Image: Mark Riding)
Elsewhere in Salford, work is also ongoing on Liverpool Street. The affected stretch of road is between Albion Way and Oldfield Road.
On Monday, August 16, a one-way street closure to the west was introduced.
The lockdown will be in place for six weeks, but the east direction towards Manchester will not be affected.
Delays are to be expected due to other projects on the same route section.
The work, which is supposed to last nine months, began on April 12th.
Coun Mike McCusker, Lead Member for Planning and Sustainable Development, said, “Nobody likes road works, we understand that, but these are two main routes in major growth areas in Salford.
The work could still take months
“Trafford Road is not a plan to ‘just’ introduce a cycle path. We are working to improve the capacity of the road for all users by improving intersections, reducing congestion in the long run, and providing better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists to encourage people to keep walking, cycling and public Transportation to use to count the number of cars on the road.
“This is part of a wider Greater Manchester program to create the largest contiguous system of walking and cycling trails in the UK after a huge surge in walking and cycling during the pandemic.
“Trafford Road has recently had a problem with unplanned and overflowing Metrolink work that was beyond our control, but that work has now been completed and the affected roads have reopened. Further closures of intersections are planned during the project, the full details of which are available on Commonplace, so that the work can be safely completed.
“Our contractors work hard to keep residents, businesses and commuters informed and to respond promptly to their comments or questions. We are doing everything we can to minimize the disruption to residents and we thank them for their patience as this large capital investment proceeds.
“Liverpool Street is a full £ 3 million reconstruction of the street, lanes and cycle paths, improved traffic lights and drainage.
“The current space for motorists remains unchanged, but by removing the central islands we can introduce a new separate bike path, wider footpaths, improved road crossing facilities near bus stops, bus stop bypasses to improve traffic flow, and new bus stops to encourage more public transport use and Take vehicles off the streets.
“The one-way mission is that the work can be done safely and quickly.”
A spokesman for Metrolink added, “On Friday, August 13th at around 11:00 pm, the road closure at the Furness Quay end of the quays was lifted.
“We then installed a number of makeshift lights at this point to help demobilize our site and were removed on Sunday, August 15th at 3:00 pm.”
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