Metrolink road chaos ‘worth it in the end’

YOU can’t build a tram line through a town centre without major disruption, say the people behind Metrolink.

But the work to bring the tram line to Oldham is being done as quickly as possible, and the end result will be worth it. The promise came from Metrolink bosses and Councillor Dave Hibbert, cabinet member for housing, transport and regeneration.

The first leg of work involves moving all utilities away from the track, and utility companies are taking the opportinuty to renew worn-out pre-war infrastructure.

Once underground cables and pipes have been replaced, roadworks for maintenance should be minimised across the Metrolink route for several years.

That work is expected to be complete by March next year, when work to lay the tracks through the town centre will begin.

The Union Street track will be laid in sections, and traffic heading in both directions filtered past, which signals more peak- period road misery for motorists.

It will also mean more disruption for shopkeepers and businesses which line the route, but Philip Purdy, Transport for Greater Manchester’s Metrolink director, urged people to be patient and wait for the finished result — in early 2014.

He said traffic diversions were often the only way to allow complicated work to be carried out safely and quickly.

And he said ensuring access to the town centre with as little impact as possible on town centre businesses was of paramount importance.

“It’s not our aim to send businesses to the wall,” said Mr Purdy.

“I believe Metrolink will be great for regeneration of this area, however, we have to build it, and there is no denying it is going to cause disruption.”

Road closures and diversions are continually reviewed in a bid to keep disruption to a minimum.

Current work which has narrowed Mumps roundabout from three lanes to one is expected to be completed by mid-August.

Mumps is one of the three hotspots in the development where work is expected to cause the most disruption, but it has been heralded as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for its wholesale improvement.

The other two high-disruption areas are King Street and the Manchester Street roundabout.

Councillor Hibbert said: “In a project as complex as this, it’s an achievement to keep the roads open.

“At the end of the day Oldham will have a supermodern travel interchange, and hopefully the problems we now have will fade into memories.”