A section of the A6 is to be re-routed as part of a huge employment development. The roadworks, on Chorley Road, north of Bolton , are part of Harworth Group’s Wingates employment scheme. The plans, which were approved by the council last year, will realign a short section of the A6 in Westhoughton .

The new road will provide an access route to the Wingates employment site, where Harworth is set to build up to 1.1 million sq/ft of logistics and manufacturing space. It will leave Wimberry Hill Road and its Chorley Road junction unaltered, both of which will continue to serve the existing Wingates industrial estate.

The works, which will be carried out by the Bolton-based civil engineers, A E Yates Ltd, will move traffic 40 metres away from nearby homes, and create a new landscaped buffer between the realigned A6 Chorley Road and properties, which will screen the road and provide a green, planted area. The existing road will be narrowed and retained, providing access for local residents and creating a new cul-de-sac which will be shut off to through-traffic. Harworth said this will improve safety for residents and access for deliveries.

The work also include a new traffic light junction with pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities and new and improved cycle lanes and pavements. Harworth said that traffic generation from the development will not change as a result of the new junction and realigned road. The improvements are expected to complete by spring next year.

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