It was supposed to ease mayhem at one of Greater Manchester's most notorious traffic hotspots... now it hangs in the balance

The future of a scheme aimed at improving one of the most congested motorway junctions in the north west is up in the air. Scores of motorists on the M60 have themselves stuck in traffic near Simister Island at junction 18. Simister Island Interchange connects the M62, M60 and M66, with drivers able to travel towards Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Yorkshire.

The junction is one of the busiest in the north west, used by around 90,000 vehicles a day - far more than it was designed to cope with. In March 2020, the government’s second Road Investment Strategy included a commitment for Highways England, now known as National Highways, to improve the interchange.

National Highways revealed details of their plans to tackle the notorious motorway interchange back in March 2023. They hoped it could start as early as 2025, estimating it would cost between £207m and £340m.

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Following the Budget announcement yesterday (October 30), all transport projects are under review, due to what the government describes as a '£22bn blackhole’. The Simister Island scheme wasn’t axed during the speech in the House of Commons - like other projects - but chancellor Rachel Reeves didn’t confirm it was happening either.

The government has commissioned an internal review of the Department for Transport's capital spend portfolio, which will inform a long-term strategy. It means the Simister Island project could go ahead as planned, but it could also look very different from the original proposals if changes or spending cuts are deemed necessary.

The original plan tabled by National Highways would see the construction of a new free-flow link (northern loop), which will take M60 motorists from eastbound to southbound without having to leave the motorway, as they have to now. It's been christened the 'Northern Loop' by National Highways.

The scheme would also see the realignment of the M66 southbound carriageway on the approach to the junction; a new two-lane free-flow road from the M60 northbound to the M60 westbound to replace the existing single-lane; and a widening of the M66 southbound to four lanes through junction 18.

The hard shoulder between M60 junctions 17 and 18 would be converted into a permanent traffic lane, providing five lanes in both directions.

When they launched consultation in Spring 2023, a National Highways director said: "The Simister Island Interchange is a critical part of our investment in the North West, supporting economic growth by better connecting major cities across the north of England.

"The scheme is vital in reducing congestion now and in the future, improving safety, improving journey time reliability for all road users and increasing connectivity between local areas.”

A statement by transport minister Louise Haigh on October 30 regarding the Transport Infrastructure Review read: “The financial inheritance this government has received is extremely challenging. The previous administration has left a £22 billion public spending gap this year alone – £2.9bn of which is unfunded transport commitments.

“Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them. This government will not make that mistake. This government will rebuild our economic foundations whilst restoring transparency and public trust.

“In recent weeks, the gap between promised schemes and the money available to deliver them has been made clear to me. There has been a lack of openness with the public about the status of schemes - some of which were cancelled or paused by the previous government, without proper communication to the public.

"As the chancellor informed Parliament, I am commissioning an internal review of DfT’s capital spend portfolio. We will bring in external expertise and move quickly to make recommendations about current and future schemes.

“This review will support the development of our new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart, and ensuring that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time.

“I am determined that we build the transport infrastructure to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country, and to deliver value for money for taxpayers. That ambition requires a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects – with public trust, industry confidence and government integrity at its heart.”