8:30am Thursday 10th May 2012
ANOTHER key step towards revitalising Altrincham town centre will be taken this month, as preliminary works to prepare for the £19m redevelopment of the town's interchange get underway.
The disused footbridge over Stamford New Road, which connects the Stamford Quarter to the current interchange, is to be demolished, paving the way for the transformation of the transport hub.
Transport bosses say the multi-million pound revamp – due to be completed in 2014 – will deliver a safer, fully integrated centre with much improved facilities, which will be accessible to all.
It will also provide a new gateway for visitors arriving in Altrincham, and will play a key role in shaping the vision for the town centre being driven by Trafford Council.
Leader of Trafford Council, Councillor Matt Colledge, said: “I am delighted that preparation work for the redevelopment of the interchange is starting to take place.
“This scheme will provide a modern, high quality facility for the community and for all those visitors who arrive in the town on public transport. It will combine the best of the original station building with the most up to date design and services.
“The interchange project is one of a number of major schemes that will transform the town centre, supporting our aim of restoring Altrincham to its position as one of the most vibrant modern market towns in the country.”
The first stage of the redevelopment of Altrincham Interchange will get underway over three weekends this month, when the footbridge over Stamford New Road is demolished.
The work, carried out by M J Finnigan Demolition, has been scheduled to take place over two Sundays – May 13 and 20 – although work could carry over to 27 May if bad weather affects progress.
During the work, Stamford New Road will have to be closed. As a result, both traffic and pedestrians will be diverted along signed routes around the road closure and the bus station at the interchange will be closed.
Temporary bus stops will be provided on Woodlands Road outside the Cresta Court Hotel and on the station car park off Oakfield Road.
Metrolink and train services from the interchange will not be affected but pedestrian routes will be rearranged and signposted.
The footbridge has been closed for a number of years and the redevelopment of the interchange will improve pedestrian crossings across Stamford New Road significantly.
The redevelopment of Altrincham Interchange was approved by Trafford Council’s planning committee in August last year.
It will transform the existing interchange into a new, fully accessible facility with a modern concourse, a single, integrated ticket office, and improved links between bus, train and tram services.
As part of the Greater Manchester Commuter Cycling Project, which is being funded through the government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund, major new cycling facilities will also be provided.
TfGM is in the final stages of appointing a contractor to deliver the project as a whole, but the footbridge needs to be demolished now to enable the wider redevelopment to start later this year.
The £19 million project as a whole should be complete in 2014.
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