It's almost three years since the Congleton Link Road opened and a recently produced report shows the positive differences it has made.

The £88.5m project – Cheshire East Council's biggest ever infrastructure scheme – was delivered to improve connectivity between Macclesfield, Congleton, the surrounding area and the M6. It has also reduced congestion and improved air quality in Congleton and released land creating the potential for jobs in the local economy. 

The scheme has reduced overall traffic, especially HGVs, coming through the town centre and has led to new development sites being proposed on Congleton Business Park, not to mention creating extra much-needed housing. 

The report, which was produced by Jacobs UK, also states that the delivery of Congleton Link Road has led to time savings of up to four minutes for journeys in Congleton town centre, compared to pre-scheme journey times; achieving this at the same time as providing access to the majority of new employment and housing for the town.

Works on Congleton Link road included:

• The creation of a new 5.7km single carriageway with eight new roundabout junctions
• Excavation and relocation of more than 850,000 tonnes of earthworks
• The laying of more than 100,000m2 of road and footpath asphalt
• Extensive landscaping – including the planned planting of 15,000 trees

Councillor Craig Browne, deputy leader and chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: "It is still very early to be able to show fully just how successful this scheme has been, but the early evidence compiled in this report gives a very clear indication that we have met the objectives that we set out to achieve.

"The majority of local road users are switching to using the link road, relieving the pressure on local routes. There are already around 1,000 vehicles using the link road during peak hours and that number will only increase as people's habits change.

"To highlight just one example, the traffic on West Road has reduced by 14 per cent since the link road opened improving the air quality there by 40 per cent. There are many more examples of the positive difference the link road has already delivered, and I am confident that road users will continue to reap these benefits for many years to come."

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For a more detailed analysis of the positive changes that have already been provided by the construction of the link road, please visit the Congleton Link Road project page and view the report: Congleton Link Road (cheshireeast.gov.uk)