Work on Denton Island upgrade continues

Work on a £5.3 million project to reduce congestion and improve safety at a busy motorway interchange in Tameside started yesterday (Tuesday 9 September).

The Highways Agency scheme at Denton Island, where the M60 meets the M67 and the A57, will see new slip roads constructed to bypass the busy roundabout. Improvements are also being made to the layout of the junction.

Engineers now need to close one of the two lanes on the Manchester-bound side of the A57 on the approach to the roundabout. Motorists who use the A57 are being advised to find alternative routes wherever possible, as the closure is likely to cause delays and will be in place for at least three weeks.

However, the Highways Agency will also be reopening all three lanes on the roundabout itself which should improve the flow of traffic for vehicles coming from other directions. One lane will remain closed on the westbound approach to Denton Island from the M67.

Mark Mosley, the Highways Agency’s project manager, said: "The improvements we’re making at Denton Island will have a significant long-term benefit for both the local and regional economy by reducing delays and improving safety.”

The first phase of the Denton Island project – including providing more room on both exit slip roads onto the roundabout from the M60 and a dedicated left turn for drivers leaving the anti-clockwise M60 for the Manchester-bound A57 – started in November last year and opened to drivers in April.

The second phase includes remodelling the westbound approaches to the roundabout from the M67 and A57. The improvements include providing a new slip road onto the clockwise side of the M60, bypassing the roundabout.

New traffic lights, street lights and signs will also be installed, the road will be resurfaced.