The Government announced the creation of a National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) in Autumn 2016 to allow for investment in areas that are key to boosting productivity. In April 2017 bids were requested by Government to cover small (£2-5m) and large (£5 to £10m) schemes for allocated funding in 2018/19 and 2019/20.  

The schemes put forward were required to promote or facilitate one or more of the following aims:

  • To ease congestion and provide upgrades on important national, regional or local routes
  • To unlock economic and job creation opportunities
  • To enable the delivery of new housing developments

We submitted the maximum allowance of two bids for the following schemes:

  • Warrington East Phase 3 - improvements to traffic signals on Junction 11 of the M62 and the partial widening of the A574 Birchwood Way
  • Omega Highway Gateways – proposed junction improvements to the junctions of Burtonwood Road/Kingswood Road and A57 Liverpool Road/Lingley Green Avenue

It was announced on 19 October 2017 that both bids were successful and that funding of £7.63m will be allocated by the Government to part fund the above schemes.

This builds on previous our previous NPIF successes, for example we received £769,000 from the NPIF earlier this year to deliver the following schemes in 2017/18: 

  • Stretton Road Maintenance scheme.
  • A57 Liverpool Road/Whittle Ave Junction Improvement.
  • M62 J9 & Delph Lane Junction Improvements.

The next steps for the development of Warrington East Phase 3 and Omega Highway Gateways schemes are set out below.

Warrington East Phase 3

Warrington East Phase 3

  • A public consultation exercise took place in May 2018.
  • The scheme has been expanded to include the full dualling of Birchwood Way from Moss Gate to Junction 11.
  • Land assembly is already in hand with respect to early discussions with the Woodland Trust.
  • Subject to the programming of the Warrington East projects, it's anticipated that detailed designs would take place during 2018 with a start of construction on site in autumn 2018 and completion by early 2020.
  • Contact has been made with Highways England to ensure coordination with the M62 J10-12 Smart Motorway project due to start in March 2019.
Kingswood Road/Burtonwood Road

Kingswood Road/Burtonwood Road

This scheme has now been completed.

Liverpool Road/Lingley Green Avenue

A57 Liverpool Road/Lingley Green Avenue

  • Funding has been awarded on the basis of current and predicted traffic levels and the benefit that a scheme would provide in terms of reducing levels of queuing and delay.
  • Public consultation on the preferred option took place between 19 February and 16 March 2018.
  • Scheme delivery is planned for 2019/20.
3 February 2023