Safety upgrades due to start at Manchester College crossing

Pedestrian safety will be at the heart of improvement works due to start at the beginning of June.

From Monday 2 June, work will start to upgrade the junction of Trinity Way/Great Ducie Street providing a larger and improved crossing area for the public.

Adjacent to Manchester College, which will see an increased number of students in the coming years, and in proximity to the AO Arena and Victoria Station this junction is one of the key crossing locations in that part of the city centre.

Coupled with increased investment in the area as part of the Strangeways redevelopment and the more than 400 new homes built on the former Boddingtons site, it is only going to become a busier area which is why it has become clear that improvements to existing infrastructure are needed.

Between 2017 and 2021 there were a total of 15 accidents at this junction resulting in 21 people being injured – one of which was a serious injury.

Running until approximately mid-July the works will consist of:

• Improved controlled pedestrian crossing on the east side of the junction, opposite the Manchester College campus
• Redesigned controlled pedestrian crossing on the west side of the junction, opposite the Kickair trampoline centre
• Guard rails and bollards to prevent pavement parking on the kerb island near to New Bridge Street and Mirabel Street
• A left turn ban of northbound traffic on Great Ducie Street and a build out of the kerb to prevent left turns
• Road markings and signage will be updated to reflect the changes

Working hours for the scheme will be Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm, with some overnight lane closures planned. For any lane closures during the day, they will only be in operation in off-peak hours between 9.30-15.30.

No work will take place during the weekend.

During the weekends of Parklife (June 14-15) and the Peter Kay and Pulp performances (June 21-22) overnight closures will not be in place.

A traffic management plan will be in place so that motorists will still be able to use this junction during the course of the works. However there will be a degree of disruption as the improvements are made, which is why we would encourage people to plan their journeys ahead and try alternative routes where possible.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport said: “Safety will always be our number one priority which is why the improvement works planned for this junction are so important.

“Thousands of people – many of them attending the nearby college – use this crossing point every day and we must ensure that they can cross what is a very busy road safely.

“We hope to carry out this work as quickly as possible but I would like to thank motorists in advance for their patience as it is carried out.”