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Dates for road closures and traffic restrictions announced ahead of Manchester city centre ‘improvement works’
Disruption is expected until spring 2025.
Emily Sergeant -
10th July 2024 
Major work to improve some of Manchester city centre’s main thoroughfares is set to begin next month.
After Manchester City Council shared its initial plans back in 2023 for how improvements could be made to Deansgate and Whitworth Street West, both in the heart of the city centre, as part of the ‘City Centre Active Travel Fund’, it’s now been announced that these “improvement works” are set to begin in just a couple of weeks time.
Aptly-named the Deansgate and Whitworth Street West Active Travel Scheme, the Council set out a “range of priorities” on what it wanted this scheme to achieve in the long-term.
These priorities included encouraging more people to walk and cycle, improving infrastructure to create linked-up routes throughout the city, generally improving safety, and reducing the overall amount of traffic going into the city centre.
With all of this in mind, changes are to be brought in over the coming months across three junctions along Deansgate.
Segregated cycleways, a new bus gate, improved controlled pedestrian crossings and additional zebra crossings, junctions that provide more safety for cyclists, and the creation of a rain garden, are the changes set to get underway from the start of next month until spring of next year.
As of Monday 5 August, the improvement works are to begin on parts of Deansgate, Quay Street, Peter Street, Whitworth Street West, Chester Road, and Great Jackson Street.
Disruption is expected until spring 2025, the Council has warned.
There will be nighttime road closures in place to facilitate resurfacing between the junctions of Quay Street and Liverpool Road from the evening of Tuesday 6 August 6 until the morning of Friday 9 August 9, with closure hours being between 9pm and 4am, and a number of other temporary traffic restrictions will also be in place over the course of the scheme.
From 5 August, work will start on the Deansgate and Whitworth St West Active Travel scheme.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 8, 2024
Work will take place between Quay St/Peter St and Bridgewater Viaduct, including Whitworth St west.
Please plan your journey during this time. pic.twitter.com/UqZdACmdMY
A permanent one-way system is to also be put in place for southbound traffic between Quay Street and Liverpool Road from 5 August.
“Work of this scale will naturally cause some disruption and potential delays for motorists,” the Council said in a statement, before adding that it is “grateful” for the “understanding and future patience” of all residents, businesses, and motorists in Manchester during the course of these works.
The scheme will be “routinely monitored” during its progress to allow the Council to “adapt” and “make interventions” based on the level of disruption, as well as help manage the network as effectively as possible.
Read more:
- Motorists warned of several overnight closures on M6 near Wigan for ‘complete resurfacing’
- A Manc’s guide to | Deansgate – Where luxury skyscrapers meet ancient history
- The Council wants to widen pavements and reduce road width on these major Manchester streets
Find out more about the Deansgate and Whitworth Street West Active Travel Scheme here.
Featured Image – David Dixon (via Flickr)
