Continual flooding of the A555 Manchester Airport Relief Road

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has today written to two local councils calling for urgent action to address the continual flooding of the A555 Manchester Airport Relief Road.

The major arterial route in south Manchester between Hazel Grove and the airport, flooded again on New Year’s Eve, and remains closed more than a week on. Each time the authorities close the busy dual carriageway it triggers widespread disruption in communities which surround the busy dual carriageway, which serves as a major feeder route to Manchester Airport, the wider motorway network in south Manchester including the M56, Manchester city centre via the A34, and on into south Cheshire in the other direction.

The road has flooded almost every year since it opened in 2018, two years behind schedule – itself partly due to flooding. FSB say businesses are massively impacted when the busy bypass closes, who complain of reduced footfall, issues with staff late for work, and significant disruption to their wider operations for those reliant on vehicles and/or deliveries to trade.

FSB Development Manager for Greater Manchester, Robert Downes, said:

“If this was a one-off occurrence the business community may well be more forgiving, but it’s not. It happens every year and it just can’t be allowed to go on unchecked or treated as an acceptable problem.

“This has become an annual occurrence during periods of heavy rainfall, and it’s simply unacceptable this newly built road, only completed in 2018, continues to be plagued by such a predictable problem in a city region famous for inclement weather. The repeated flooding of the A555 highlights serious design flaws and raises questions about the competency of those responsible for its design and final construction. 

He added:

“It’s hard not to feel that what’s become an annual occurrence here in GM would be tolerated in the South East. The A555 serves Manchester Airport, a vital regional and global gateway and key business hub for the North of England. Yet again and again it’s allowed to fall into an unusable state. Imagine that was Heathrow or Gatwick? It would have been put right years ago.

“This highlights a worrying way we maintain transport infrastructure here, but also the ‘lasses faire’ approach from local decision makers who don’t appear to appreciate a) how bad this looks outwardly; b) the genuine hardship it causes for communities affected.

“The people of Stockport, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester deserve better. We cannot continue to be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to transport infrastructure investment. Stockport Council and Cheshire East Council must act now. They must secure the necessary funding and expertise to fix the A555 once and for all. This situation cannot be allowed to continue year after year.”

“The impact of these closures extends beyond mere inconvenience. Local businesses suffer as potential customers are deterred by the traffic chaos. Moreover, the increased congestion leads to a decline in air quality as thousands of vehicles are forced onto alternative routes, through urban areas that now simply can’t cope with the demand when a key piece of the road network goes down.

“This week, as we saw the final piece of the Bee Network jigsaw fall into place in Stockport, the A555’s extraordinary lack of resilience has been exposed once again. It’s fair to say it’s not been a great start for a flagship mayoral project when local bus services have been so badly affected.”