Get ready for some disruption to your journeys as 14 weeks of major junction improvement works gets underway in Lowton this week.
Wigan Council has confirmed that highway improvement works at the A580 and Stone Cross Lane North junction are due to start on Thursday, 25 June and will last for around 14 weeks.
The scheme will add an extra right-turn lane from Stone Cross Lane North onto the A580 heading towards Liverpool, with the aim of easing congestion and improving traffic flow at one of the busiest junctions in the area.
The pedestrian crossings at the junction will also be upgraded to toucan crossings, which let people on foot and on bikes cross at the same time. The council says this will create a safer walking, wheeling and cycling link between Stone Cross Lane South and Stone Cross Lane North, across the A580.
What to expect while the work is taking place
The work will be done in phases, with lane closures and temporary traffic signals at different stages to keep traffic moving. The council has timed the works to make the most of the school summer holidays, when the roads are usually quieter.
No full closure of the A580 is expected until the final surfacing stage at the end of the scheme, and the council has said plenty of notice will be given before that happens.
Why the work is happening
The improvements are paid for through Section 106 money, which comes from contributions developers make to offset the impact of new housing in the area.
The plans go back to a public consultation in 2021, when local people were asked how £8.6m of this funding should be spent. Easing traffic flow and congestion came out as the most important issue for people in Lowton and Golborne.
More changes to come at Newton Road
The Stone Cross Lane work is the first of two junction improvements planned for this stretch of the A580. A second scheme is on the way at the Newton Road junction, funded in the same way and put forward at the same time, following the 2021 consultation.
That scheme will add a dedicated left-turn lane on the A580 at Newton Road, along with upgraded crossings for people walking and cycling, with the aim of easing congestion at a junction that struggles to cope at peak times.
The Newton Road work is not due to start until 2027, so the two schemes will not run at the same time.
Where to find out more
Full details of both schemes are available on Wigan Council’s junction improvements page, which the council says it will keep updated as the work progresses.