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Bolton outlines first town-centre walking and cycling works

A bicycle beside a paved urban footway, with a kerb-separated cycle track and indistinct shopfronts in the background

Construction begins on Great Moor Street

Bolton’s town centre walking and cycling work has begun on Great Moor Street, according to the council’s delivery update checked on 24 October 2026. Following its announcement on 5 October, the council says Bethell Group has commenced construction. The Great Moor Street improvements come first, with Bradshawgate following later.

The Phase One improvements include resurfacing, replacement paving, segregated cycle routes and junction changes. A separate Phase Two remains at detailed design. The distinction matters: construction is underway on one corridor, while other published layouts describe work still to come.

The cover and article images are AI-generated illustrations of generic scenes related to this topic.

Great Moor Street construction and the timetable into 2027

The council’s 5 October announcement originally scheduled construction to start on 12 October 2026. Its subsequent delivery update confirms that construction has commenced, but does not establish the actual day work began. The scheduled date should therefore not be treated as an independently confirmed commencement date.

Walking and cycling work: the published sequence

The programme divides Great Moor Street construction into two periods. From October to December 2026, work concentrates on sections with limited active commercial frontage. Remaining work on the street is scheduled for January to April 2027.

The council says this sequence is intended to reduce disruption to businesses and visitors during Christmas trading. That explains its approach to programming; it is not a finding that shops or customers have experienced no disruption.

Bradshawgate follows the Great Moor Street improvements. The council says it will publish Bradshawgate’s phasing, traffic-management arrangements and programme before construction starts there. Its update does not confirm that work on Bradshawgate is already underway.

The £5.18 million allocation and Crompton Place coordination

Bolton secured £5.18 million in delivery funding in 2023. The council’s announcement identifies the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund as the funding source for the Phase One improvements.

The council attributes the delayed delivery to coordination with the demolition of Crompton Place. Its project update, checked on 24 October 2026, says demolition has begun, with completion expected in 2027.

Junction upgrades, pedestrian priority and station connections

A close view of tactile paving, a dropped kerb and pedestrian crossing signals at an ordinary urban junction
AI-generated illustration: A close view of tactile paving, a dropped kerb and pedestrian crossing signals at an ordinary urban junction.

The council identifies four junctions for upgrades:

  • Great Moor Street and Newport Street.
  • Great Moor Street, Johnson Street and the bus station exit.
  • Great Moor Street and Bradshawgate.
  • Bradshawgate, Churchgate and Deansgate.

Across the scheme, the Phase One improvements include road resurfacing, replacement footway paving and segregated cycle paths. Segregated routes provide space physically separated from motor traffic. The council presents this separation as particularly valuable for younger or less confident riders.

Continuous footways and side-road entry treatments are also included. These carry the pedestrian route across side-road entrances, with the stated intention of giving pedestrians priority. They form part of a wider redesign rather than simply a new road surface.

The council links the Phase One improvements to easier, safer journeys around the centre and better connections with the bus and railway stations. These are the scheme’s stated aims, not measured results from completed infrastructure.

The Great Moor Street overview drawing shows the corridor around Newport Street, Johnson Street, Mawdsley Street and Chancery Lane. It depicts cycle routes separately from the main carriageway and pedestrian paving, with crossings at principal junctions.

The drawing also shows cycle-route continuity through Newport Street and across the Johnson Street junction area. Loading provision is identified along Great Moor Street, placing servicing space within the proposed street layout.

The planned Bradshawgate route and Nelson Square crossing

A street-level view along a segregated cycle track beside a broad pavement and brick commercial frontages without readable signs
AI-generated illustration: A street-level view along a segregated cycle track beside a broad pavement and brick commercial frontages without readable signs.

The drawing covering the Great Moor Street and Bradshawgate junction shows how the cycle routes meet. Cycling provision continues along Bradshawgate, with crossing arrangements drawn across the junction arms.

The sheet extends towards Nelson Square and Breightmet Street. It depicts side-road treatments at Bollings Yard and Breightmet Street, a bus stop on Bradshawgate near Nelson Square, and parking provision labelled on Great Moor Street.

Further along the corridor, the Bradshawgate overview drawing labels a puffin pedestrian crossing north of Nelson Square. It also shows cycle tracks on both sides of the street, a bus stop and several loading bays.

At its northern end, the drawing includes the Bradshawgate, Churchgate and Deansgate junction, with Bank Street also visible. An annotation specifically states that minor amendments will be made to that junction layout before construction.

The overview drawings are dated 16 June 2026 and marked for information. They help explain the planned walking and cycling work, but should not be read as evidence that those features are installed or that every detail is final.

Phase Two’s separate northern routes and design programme

The council’s project page, checked on 24 October 2026, places Bolton Town Centre East Phase Two at detailed design. This is separate from the walking and cycling work now underway on Great Moor Street.

The Phase Two consultation record explains the relationship between the phases. Phase One was consulted on in November 2020. Phase Two’s consultation closed on 27 March 2026 and concerned connections with those improvements and other routes leading from the centre.

Most Phase Two proposals lie north of the town centre, notably along St Helena Road, St George’s Street and Charles Street. Further improvements were proposed on Bridge Street and Bow Street.

The council’s Phase Two consultation explanations describe tactile paving, continuous side-road crossings, raised junction or side-road tables, segregated cycleways, dropped kerbs and pedestrian refuge islands. Raised tables lift part of the road surface; refuge islands provide an intermediate place when crossing.

The proposals also include heritage-sensitive paving, greenery and rain gardens. These belong to the later-phase consultation material. They should not be transferred wholesale into descriptions of the Phase One improvements.

Phase Two has a different named funding source: City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements funding. That is distinct from the Challenge Fund allocation identified for the current construction.

A nearby crossing scheme covering Topp Way, St George’s Road and Marsden Road was consulted on alongside Phase Two because of its proximity. The council nevertheless identifies it as separate. Shared consultation does not make every nearby proposal part of the same construction programme.

What the Phase Two consultation recorded

AECOM’s Phase Two engagement report records consultation from 2 to 27 March 2026. It received 30 responses: 27 online forms, two paper forms and one email.

Publicity included postcards to 461 properties within a 30-metre buffer of the scheme. Drop-in sessions took place at Market Place shopping centre on 11 and 17 March. Four workshops were held at Bolton Central Library on 5 and 12 March.

Twenty-five respondents answered the overall-support question. Seven strongly supported the proposals and two supported them. Six were neutral, one opposed and nine strongly opposed.

Within that question’s respondents, this amounted to 36% support, 40% opposition and 24% neutral. The small, self-selecting group does not represent opinion across Bolton, and its answers concern Phase Two rather than the walking and cycling work currently under construction.

The report records support for safer crossings and accessibility alongside concerns about cycling uptake and competing spending priorities. Design considerations include wider route connections, secure cycle parking, understandable layouts and communication about construction impacts.

Feedback is intended to inform final design and construction planning. The report describes subsequent amendments and approvals through the council’s normal process, with a final decision by the relevant Executive Cabinet Member. It does not establish that those later decisions have already occurred.

Where to check the next programme update

For the next stage, consult the council’s transport project update for revised programme and traffic-management information. The position checked on 24 October 2026 is clear: Great Moor Street construction has begun, Bradshawgate follows, and Phase Two remains a separate design programme.

Related local reading

Sources

Questions about Bolton’s transport scheme

Who is carrying out the Great Moor Street construction?

Bolton Council’s project update, checked on 24 October 2026, identifies Bethell Group as the contractor undertaking the Great Moor Street improvements.

Was 12 October confirmed as the actual construction start date?

No. The council’s 5 October announcement scheduled a 12 October start. Its subsequent update confirms construction has commenced without establishing the actual commencement date.

Does April 2027 mark completion of the whole scheme?

No. January–April 2027 is the published period for remaining Great Moor Street improvements. Bradshawgate follows, with its programme to be published before construction there begins.

Are the published street drawings final construction layouts?

The overview drawings are dated 16 June 2026 and marked for information. Sheet 3 specifically anticipates minor amendments to the Bradshawgate, Churchgate and Deansgate junction.

Do the plans show loading provision?

Yes. The drawings identify loading provision on Great Moor Street and loading bays along Bradshawgate. They describe planned layouts, not temporary loading arrangements during construction.

When was Phase One consulted on?

The council’s consultation record says Phase One was consulted on in November 2020. The March 2026 consultation concerned the separate Phase Two proposals.

How are the two phases funded?

The council identifies the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund for Phase One improvements. Phase Two’s consultation record identifies City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements funding.

Does the Phase Two consultation measure opinion across Bolton?

No. It received 30 responses, with 25 answering the overall-support question. This small, self-selecting group does not provide a representative measure of opinion across Bolton.