A57 bypass '50 years in the making' splits opinion

The start of work on a new bypass that could cut journey times between Sheffield and Manchester has divided opinion, 50 years after the scheme was first proposed.

The A57 Link Roads Mottram Bypass could reduce congestion in villages in the Peak District National Park - but opponents have said it would instead "push traffic" elsewhere.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said the new road could "harm public enjoyment" of the landscape, but the project has been welcomed by those who rely on the A57 for work.

Luke Williams, transport manager at haulage firm Newell and Wright, said he was “over the moon” to hear that construction would begin this month.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

The haulage business on the Rotherham-Sheffield border has about 200 vehicles, most of which are HGVs.

“More often than not it’s a cumbersome route. It takes too long, there’s traffic jams, we’re constantly letting customers down,” said Mr Williams.

He added that the Mottram bypass would allow the firm to offer better rates to customers, which would be good for the national economy.

“Because we deal with shipping containers, ultimately it helps the supply chain, which helps prices in the shops. And ultimately it’s better for you and me,” he said.

But Tomo Thompson, chief executive of the CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire, said the scheme would not solve the perceived problems but “shunt traffic into other communities”.

The CPRE sought a judicial review of the plans in January 2023, claiming the government had failed to consider the environmental impact, but it was rejected by the Court of Appeal in April.

“We continue to believe there are much more sustainable options, which would cause far less environmental harm and provide sustainable transport rather than add to the climate crisis,” Mr Thompson said.

He cited concerns that the road would "invade" the green belt and encourage more "infill" housing developments nearby.

And the Centre for Cities think tank said it would prefer there to be more investment in public transport to link Sheffield's suburbs to its centre.

Paul Swinney, director of policy and research, said: “The Mottram bypass is a good thing, but we shouldn’t also overstate the impact and neglect other parts of the public transport network that would perhaps have a bigger impact on people’s day-to-day lives."

He added: “Sometimes we focus too much on those Sheffield to Manchester, or Sheffield to Leeds connections rather than thinking enough about those links within those great cities.”

Mr Thompson said the CPRE would also prefer to see improvements to public transport.

“Our solution includes an area-wide weight restriction across the Peak District for heavy lorries, coupled with improvements for walking, cycling and buses, and could be implemented for a fraction of the cost of the scheme,” he said.

The A57 Link Roads scheme was previously known as the Trans-Pennine Upgrade, according to National Highways.

It was selected for investment because the congestion on the route "limited employment opportunities" and because heavy traffic posed issues for pedestrian safety.

National Highways said the scheme had "evolved" over 50 years of discussions. Following consultation in 2017, a plan to connect the M67 at Mottram with the M1 north of Sheffield was announced.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.