CREATING a new bypass to ease congestion in Westhoughton is back on Bolton Council’s agenda.

Building the long-awaited Westhoughton Bypass would help to reduce traffic through the town and be of “high value” for money, according to a report being presented to the council’s cabinet on Monday.

The idea for a new bypass has been under consideration for decades, but never went ahead due to a lack of funding and because the government concluded it was “not of sufficient strategic national importance”.

Council officers have recommended that the cabinet approves the project in principle and begins talks with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to progress the scheme, after a feasibility study carried out by engineering consultants Aecom outlined its benefits.

The report does not outline a definite route for the road, but says it would “significantly reduce” delays along the section of the A58 between junction five of the M61 and the junction with Leigh Road, as well as unlocking potential development land to meet future housing demand.

The report says: “The work undertaken by Aecom demonstrates the feasibility of a Westhoughton Bypass that can relieve the existing congestion issues and has a high value for money benefit.

“The council would benefit if it had a clear vision of the transport infrastructure requirements that will relieve existing congestion issues, but through the realisation that funding for such a scheme is unlikely to be secured without the support of private sector funding through the release of land for development.

“If members are minded to support the principle of a Westhoughton Bypass then the council can engage TfGM to develop the scheme further and ensure future developments take account of and contribute towards a bypass scheme.”

The report adds that approving the principle of a new bypass would put the council in a stronger position to stop Persimmon Homes from building 300 homes on land to the south of Chequerbent Roundabout.

The council is currently fighting an appeal on those plans, which it opposes on the grounds that adding a proposed fifth arm to the Chequerbent Roundabout would “result in severe safety issues”.

Bolton Council’s cabinet member for transport, Cllr David Chadwick, says that there are several different traffic solutions under consideration for Westhoughton — including a separate link between Westhoughton and Wigan proposed by the Department of Transport in November.

Cllr Chadwick, who last year called the government’s plan “pie in the sky”, said: “What the council is doing at this stage is looking at whether we can seek funding for a bypass road that would help divert traffic away from Westhoughton.

“This is one of four or five alternative proposals to try and relieve some of that congestion.”

Bolton West MP, Chris Green, said: “I have been campaigning on this for years now and am pleased that it increasingly looks like going ahead.

“But we have to have the full plan implemented. That was to have a very good link up to the Chequerbent Roundabout but also to have a loop around Hunger Hill, where there have been a lot of accidents.

“I am really pleased that the calls for this bypass have been heard but we have to make sure that we a bypass that really delivers.”