A £1M junction improvement 'failed to get the signals' right, councillors have said.
Motorists have put up with months of disruption at the crossroads on Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge, Crompton Way and Moss Bank Way.
And it emerged that filter lights were not functioning as they should for more than a week.
Cllr Hilary Fairclough – who represents Astley Bridge – says that the issues were experienced on Blackburn Road when turning on to Moss Bank Way (towards Bolton town centre), with the right filter light not working.
She says that this remained an issue for over a week, and believes that the filter light not working was ‘dangerous’.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have since confirmed that this has now been fixed.
Cllr John Walsh said: “It’s disgraceful that TfGM – who control signals have not responded to ward councillors.
“They have spent all this money and not got the signals right, although the junction seems to mainly work.
“It has taken so long to get the junction works done.
“Why has it taken so long at such an important junction, which has caused unnecessary delays.”
Cllr Walsh also said that there are also issues in Bolton with other signals not being as effective as they should be.
He said: “Coming up from Higher Bridge Street, opposite the Holiday Inn, you can’t see the signal because it is at an angle.”
TfGM said that the issues at the junction were caused by an “intermittent fault”.
According to the transport organisation, this was fixed last Friday, although Cllr Walsh says it was not working properly over the weekend.
A TfGM spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was an intermittent fault with the right- turn signal for vehicles turning from Blackburn Road into Moss Bank Way.
“We were first made aware of the fault on Tuesday February 28 and an engineer
attended the site to investigate on Wednesday March 1.
“The fault was rectified on Friday March 3.”
The busy Blackburn Road junction near Crompton Way has been the centre of roadworks since May last year, which has been described as 'vital development works'.
The scheme is a junction improvement at the junction of Blackburn Road, Crompton Way and Moss Bank Way, at a cost of £1m, funded by the GM Growth Deal Fund.
It involved alterations to the junction arrangement and the provision of a dedicated left turn lane from Moss Bank Way onto Blackburn Road.
The aim of the scheme was designed to reduce congestion and improve safety at the junction and provide better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
The scheme value is £1m and was funded by the GM Growth Deal Fund.
If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel