PLANS to fix the M56, tackle M53 congestion in Ellesmere Port and deliver road and rail improvements around Chester have been unveiled as part of a massive £70 billion blueprint to transform transport in the North.

Transport for the North has set out an ambitious vision for the future of the North’s economy, unveiling its final draft proposals for northern infrastructure for the next 30 years in a document released today (Thursday, January 31).

The Strategic Transport Plan (STP) and the Investment Programme would, it says, rebalance decades of underinvestment and transform the lives of people in the North.

The STP outlines how up to £70 billion of investment to 2050 could contribute towards an additional £100 billion in economic growth for the North’s economy - creating 850,000 extra jobs.

Among the proposals, which will be further discussed by Transport for the North’s Board on Thursday, February 7, in Chester, are plans to improve connectivity in Cheshire, making it easier for people to travel between Cheshire and North Wales, plus more direct links to Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Each of the draft plans are featured in a document, along with their purpose and a rough idea of their cost, divided into 'small' (under £100 million), 'medium' (between £100 million and £500 million) and 'large' (more than £500 million).

Among the scores of schemes include improvements on:

  • M53 junctions 5 (Hooton) to 11 (M56 interchange) – capacity improvements to 'address significant point of congestion on the North's strategic road network to improve reliability. Cost: Medium.
  • M56 junctions 11 (Daresbury) to 15 (M53 interchange) – capacity improvements to 'enhance cross-border movements into North Wales to support economic growth and UK competitiveness. Cost: Medium.
  • Chester railway station – passenger and rail capacity enhancements, including Chester East junction and Hoole Bridge. Cost: Medium.
  • Wrexham-Bidston/Liverpool railway line – journey time improvements. Cost: Large.

Longer-term proposals include:

  • Improved rail access to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Chester and North Wales
  • Chester Box improvements (A550, A494/A548 to M53 link, Chester – Broughton growth corridor)
  • A55 Northop to A494 Shotwick improvements
  • Crewe to Chester and Holyhead (service improvements)
  • A51 improvements (Nantwich to Chester – potential expressway)
  • A54 improvements (A556 to A55 – potential expressway)

The STP and Investment Programme mark the first time the North’s civic and business leaders have spoken with one voice on behalf of the North’s 15 million people, laying out a new pipeline of transport interventions.

The document adds the blueprint is "an ambitious, but realistic, scale of programme" and will aim to work with the Government to design, develop and deliver the investment programme over the coming decades.

Subject to approval, the plans will be officially launched by Transport for the North on Monday, February 11 in Sheffield, at Transport for the North’s Inaugural Conference.

From then onwards, these proposals will become Transport for the North’s statutory advice to Government on what the ongoing priorities are for enhancing sustainable and inclusive connectivity across the North.

Barry White, chief executive at Transport for the North, said: “The Strategic Transport Plan is a hugely important document for the North. It is our vision for a prosperous pan-Northern future and outlines how investment in transport could transform our economy.

"Our Investment Programme outlines how an additional investment of just £50 per person in the North, per year, could play a part in unlocking a £100 billion increase in economic activity and create 850,000 new jobs.

“For the people of the North, this will mean more choice over where they live and work, access to higher quality jobs and better connections to friends and families. It will mean our businesses have more opportunity to collaborate, trade and grow in a sustainable way.

“This final Plan will be a statutory document written by the North, for the North, and will be our blueprint to deliver transformational change and leave a legacy for future generations.”