More than £150m has been secured to finally build a major link road in Wigan.

More than 70 years after it was first proposed, the Government has announced £153.5m for a highway connecting the A49 in Wigan to the A58 in Hindley.

The new route will connect into two additional road schemes funded by developers, creating a joined-up east-west link road.

It is hoped it will alleviate congestion and support around 1,000 jobs in the area, with work due to start by March 2029 at the latest.

It is hoped the long-called-for link road will ease Hindley's chronic traffic problem, among other communities'

placeholder image — It is hoped the long-called-for link road will ease Hindley's chronic traffic problem, among other communities'

Plans for the road date to just after the Second World War, with a formal route identified decades ago.

A detailed route, the A5225, was approved in the early 1990s with a draft order recommended to be made in 1996 following a public inquiry.

However, later that year, the Department for Transport confirmed the scheme would be withdrawn from the national roads programme.

Despite repeated promises, it has never been delivered.

Makerfield MP Josh Simons has been campaigning for the road to be built, working with the community and local councillors.

He said: “For over 70 years, this link road was talked about, promised, then quietly dropped time and time again. Nothing changed. I was having none of that.

“This didn’t happen by chance. It happened because people refused to put up with it any longer, and because we kept pushing. This is what happens when you don’t back down. Long-standing issues can be solved. Things that were written off can still be won.

“Many said this would never happen. I never gave up and today, we won.

“In the months and years ahead, I will be working with neighbouring MPs Jo Platt and Phil Brickell to ensure the full Wigan to Bolton link is delivered in full.”

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “This is a transformational moment for people in the area – a project talked about for over 70 years is finally being delivered. It will ease congestion, unlock new jobs and make a real difference to everyday life.”

A local business owner said: "I've lived in Hindley and Abram for over 20 years and I feel I've spent most of that time sitting in traffic, and it's getting worse.

“This is the first meaningful step that I've seen to really address this problem.”