Highways England has announced a £242m investment to upgrade the Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Sheffield.

The proposed upgrade works include improvements to the A57 on the Greater Manchester side that will feature new dual and single carriageways between the M67 and Woolley Bridge.

Works also include other safety and technological improvements along the route, as well as a major overhaul project of Westwood roundabout in South Yorkshire where the A616 meets the A61.

The upgrades will be funded from the government’s £15bn investment towards motorways and main A roads and will be delivered by Highways England.

Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “This upgrade is further evidence of Highways England continuing to deliver the major infrastructure which benefits the North West.

“This upgrade is further evidence of Highways England continuing to deliver the major infrastructure which benefits the North West.”

“It’s important that we take all opinions into account so I urge anyone with an interest to make their views known.”

The consultation with regard to the project is set to close on 25 March this year.

Consultation events for the Trans-Pennine upgrades will be held across both sides of the Pennines.

As well as this project, two additional schemes in the North West are expected to reach milestones in the six months to June.

Preliminary work on the M62 junction 10 to junction 12 smart motorway scheme is scheduled to begin next month, while the other involves the addition of around ten further lane miles between the M6 near Warrington (junction 10) and the M60 near Eccles (junction 12).

The addition of lanes is expected to decongest the route, as well as increase its capacity.