Road to nowhere as Sheffield to Manchester tunnel plan scrapped – The Yorkshire Post says

THE decision to quietly drop plans to build a major new road between Sheffield and Manchester by tunnelling under the Pennines needs to be placed in the context of the original announcement’s boldness.
The Woodhead Pass is still one of the main roads between Sheffield and Manchester.The Woodhead Pass is still one of the main roads between Sheffield and Manchester.
The Woodhead Pass is still one of the main roads between Sheffield and Manchester.

It came when George Osborne, the then Chancellor, used his March 2016 Budget to set out schemes to improve the North’s transport links and rebalance the economy.

First Mr Osborne declared: “We are giving the green light to High Speed 3 between Manchester and Leeds.” Five years later and progress continues at a snail’s pace – and that’s being generous.

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Next he said: “We are finding new money to create a four-lane M62; and we will develop the case for a new tunnelled road from Manchester to Sheffield.” Scrapping the latter will certainly not ease the pressure on the M62.

Promises set out by George Osborne, the then chancellor, in his 2019 Budget have failed to materialise.Promises set out by George Osborne, the then chancellor, in his 2019 Budget have failed to materialise.
Promises set out by George Osborne, the then chancellor, in his 2019 Budget have failed to materialise.

And then he concluded: “I said we would build the Northern Powerhouse. We have put in place the mayors. We are building the roads. We are laying the track.”

Five years later the Northern Powerhouse is stalling as it morphs into the opaque ‘levelling up’ agenda, only South Yorkshire has a mayor and the road and rail commitments set out by Mr Osborne, and countless other politicians in the intervening period, have still to materialise.

And, before it is pointed out that the hope is more people travel by train in the future between Sheffield and Manchester, let is be remembered that the rail line between these two great cities is even more antiquated and tortuous than a road journey via the Woodhead Pass. No wonder the North feels angry when reminded of Mr Osborne’s original intentions.

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