Residents living near the Mottram bypass construction say the ongoing works have left them dealing with “a lot of stress” and trapped in gridlock that has made everyday life unpredictable.
The project, officially known as the A57 link roads scheme, is intended to ease long-standing congestion problems and improve journey times between Manchester and Sheffield. But for those living in nearby Hollingworth and Tintwistle, the disruption has become a daily struggle.
Work on the Mottram bypass began in 2024 and is scheduled to continue until 2028. While it is designed to divert traffic away from Mottram in Longdendale, the neighbouring villages of Hollingworth and Tintwistle will not be bypassed, leaving residents there facing heavy congestion as construction continues. National Highways, which is leading the scheme, said it remained “committed to working with partners and the community to keep disruption to a minimum.”
For local business owners, the impact has been significant. Maureen Savage, who runs Thorncliffe Barn Day Nursery in Hollingworth, said traffic delays were affecting both parents and children. “Some children are falling asleep, so by the time they get home, they don’t want to go to bed and that affects how they feel the next day,” she said. “You’ve got little babies who are crying because they want to go home so it’s very upsetting.” She added that parents “stuck in the traffic” were becoming increasingly frustrated by the delays.
The issue has also affected family life. Emily Britton, 45, who has lived in Hollingworth for eight years, said the congestion had made normal routines almost impossible. “We haven’t been able to see family because they’ve been stuck in traffic and my husband hasn’t been able to get home for the children’s bedtime,” she said. “You don’t feel like you can plan anything, because you can be stuck in traffic for hours just going to the park, driving for a play date or trying to see grandparents.”
Local frustration is especially high given that residents have campaigned for a bypass around all three villages for decades. The current scheme, which will link Junction 4 of the M67 to the A57 at Mottram Moor and continue towards Glossop, stops short of providing relief to Hollingworth and Tintwistle. Many locals now fear that the new road will ease traffic for some areas while worsening it for others.
Long-standing resident Shaheen Naz, 64, said the gridlock was taking a toll on his health. “I had a quadruple heart bypass five years ago and the traffic causes a lot of stress,” he said. “Recently, a journey to Stockport, that would normally take about 20 minutes, took over two hours, because I was stuck on the M67.”
The construction work has already faced setbacks. National Highways apologised after disruption caused by unscheduled gas diversion works at Back Moor in Mottram on 27 October brought traffic to a standstill. “The works were not scheduled through our usual approval process and we requested their immediate removal,” a spokesperson said. Gas company Cadent also issued an apology, stating that there were “big lessons for everyone to learn here” and confirming that it had “decided to pause any further work on this gas pipeline diversion” while discussions take place between the organisations involved.
Despite these assurances, residents say the daily congestion caused by the Mottram bypass construction continues to dominate their lives. For many in Hollingworth and Tintwistle, the road that was meant to solve traffic problems has so far delivered only more delays, uncertainty and stress.
