Tycoon Steve O’Connor is proposing an alternative road layout around the Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge to improve access in and out of Frodsham and ‘the prosperity of the town’.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) is consulting residents about a proposed traffic regulation order which would prevent traffic heading north from the A56 Sutton Causeway turning right off the bridge on to the A56 Chester Road and facilitate the removal of the existing traffic signal junction. Motorists wishing to travel to Sutton Weaver will have to continue along A557 Clifton Road, around Clifton Road Roundabout and back along A557 Clifton Road before turning left into A56 Chester Road. CWaC also proposes to reduce traffic on the bridge - which is set to reopen in the early autumn after an extensive refurbishment - to two lanes.
The Steppingstone Group, which is owned and operated by Widnes Vikings executive chairman Steve O’Connor, believe a full-sized roundabout with associated road layout situated on land it owns adjacent to the swing bridge would provide a solution to traffic challenges in the area and has launched its own consultation to gauge whether people in Frodsham and Sutton Weaver think the idea has legs.
The consultation will comprise a 5,000 leaflet-drop and a social media campaign.
Steppingstone say the development would aim to ensure free-flowing traffic to the north of the swing bridge and into Frodsham, provide improved access into the town, reduce wear on the refurbished bridge and prevent potential accidents where HGVs are forced to negotiate tight bends alongside each other.
Mr O’Connor said: “For a number of years I lived immediately alongside the swing bridge officially in the parish of Sutton Weaver.
“The downside to living there was the never-ending stationary traffic, the pollution that came from it and the noise disturbance.
“I always felt that it was a poor junction and would have benefited from a more considered road layout and this site offers the perfect opportunity to do just that.
“Road improvements aren’t just about the drivers and their passengers or even the people who have to live alongside difficult junctions like these, it’s also about the prosperity of the town.
“People have a choice about where to live, shop and spend their money and as a gateway to the town this is having a negative impact on those choices.”
Chair of Frodsham Town Council Mark Warren said: “Although outside the Frodsham boundary, getting the right infrastructure connectivity to the M56, Halton, Sutton Weaver and beyond is vital for the future economic sustainability of this community.
“I'm delighted that some innovative solutions that will reduce the carbon footprint, reduce transit time, and give all users a fair share of the road, are being presented.”
A Cheshire West and Chester Council spokesperson said: “A traffic regulation order has been published, proposing to continue with the existing temporary traffic management arrangements, once the swing bridge has reopened.
“Anyone who wishes to express a view regarding the proposals can do so by August 8 by emailing engvr@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk or by post to Cheshire West and Chester Council, Winsford Area Highways, Phoenix House, Clough Road, Winsford, CW7 4BD.”
If you would like to respond to Steppingstone’s consultation, email swingbridgeconsultation@curtins.com or fill out and return the freepost form.
