A long-awaited £20 million link road connecting Wigan town centre with the M6 motorway has been completed.
The new A49 route intends to alleviate congestion and air pollution south of the town by bypassing the busy Poolstock road and bridging over the Leeds-Liverpool canal.
More than two kilometres of new dual carriageways have been laid to connect Warrington Road and Goose Green to Westwood Park.
The existing Westwood Park internal access road has been widened along with the road bridge’s junction with Poolstock and Chapel Lane.
It will eventually meet up with an improved link M58 link road from Junction 26 of the M6 to the west, though the £23m road is some way off completion.
Coun David Molyneux, leader of Wigan council, hailed the opening of the A49 link road as a ‘boost for the borough’.
“The completion of the road will provide quicker journey times for those commuting in and out of the town centre,” he said.
“The A49 project is a key part of our wider plans for better connectivity across the borough, helping to generate economic growth.”
Civil engineering firm Jones Bros started work on the road, which includes four bridges, in late 2018.
Throughout the project, the contractors invested more than £2 million into Wigan’s economy by using local suppliers for materials and security, as well as hiring three apprentices from the area.
Local schoolchildren were also able to take part in a competition to have their colourful designs adorn the hoardings surrounding the building sites.
The company’s managing director John Dielhof said: “The on-site team have overcome a number of challenges throughout the scheme and it’s testament to their positive attitude and capabilities that this much-needed link road has been completed on budget and on schedule.
“As well as delivering infrastructure that will benefit local people and visitors to the area, we are confident our work in the community will provide a lasting legacy.”
