Work is set to start on high quality, safe and attractive walking and cycling improvements in Bolton town centre, after Bolton Council secured over £5m of funding.
The major upgrades aim to make every-day journeys simpler and more enjoyable and add to the ongoing regeneration of the town centre.
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.
There will be changes at side roads to give pedestrians priority, along with an upgraded pedestrian crossing on Bradshawgate near Nelson Square.
Four junctions will be upgraded to make it easier and safer for people on foot and riding bikes to travel around the town centre.
Segregated cycle paths will create safer routes for people of all ages and are especially valuable for younger or less confident riders, who may not feel comfortable mixing with traffic.
Throughout construction, traffic management will be in place to keep the public and workers safe, with disruption kept to a minimum.
Funding was first granted in 2023 from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund and the council carried out extensive 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, work on the travel improvements can get underway and construction is scheduled to begin on October 12.
Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Transport and Planning, Cllr 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.”