A £5m project to improve walking and cycling routes in Bolton town centre is set to begin next week. Phase one of the scheme will focus on Bradshawgate and Great Moor Street.
Roads will be resurfaced and footpaths repaved to make them more attractive and benefit people travelling on foot. Changes at side roads will give pedestrians priority, along with an upgraded pedestrian crossing on Bradshawgate, near Nelson Square.
Junction upgrades and segregated cycle paths
Four junctions will be upgraded to make it easier and safer for people on foot and riding bikes to travel around the town centre. Bolton council said segregated cycle paths will create safer routes for people of all ages.
It added these “are especially valuable for younger or less confident riders, who may not feel comfortable mixing with traffic”. Throughout construction, the council said traffic management will be in place with “disruption kept to a minimum”.
Funding and delays
Funding was first granted in 2023 from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, and the council carried out consultation that helped shape the plans. But work was delayed by the need to prepare for the demolition and regeneration of Crompton Place.
With the removal of Crompton Place now underway, the council said work on the travel improvements can get underway, and construction is scheduled to begin on October 12.
Council comment
Bolton council’s executive member for highways, transport and planning, Coun Nadeem Ayub, said: “As we progress our ambitious plans to transform the town centre, it is vital that we include better ways for people to move around.
“Careful planning for vehicles, pedestrians and people on bikes, along with improved links to the bus and train stations, will make it easier and safer for people to get around. It will help make a town centre we can all enjoy and be proud of.”
