Trafford Council, working with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), is proposing highway improvements at two junctions in Sale town centre. This is described as the final scheme in the SWANI programme — the Sale West to Altrincham Network Improvements — funded through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a government transport fund.

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The two junction clusters

Junction 1 — Springfield Road, Tatton Road and School Road

The straight-ahead route from Tatton Road into Springfield Road will be removed, simplifying traffic movements. Footways will be widened where space is currently limited. Crossing facilities will be improved to better connect pedestrians to nearby bus stops and the Metrolink stop.

Junction 2 — Broad Road, Hope Road, Britannia Road and Northenden Road

The junction layout at Broad Road will be redesigned for a clearer arrangement. At Hope Road, next to Sale Park and Ride, footways will be widened and the crossing area improved, creating more space for people walking and wheeling.

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What this scheme is — and what it is not

This is a transport infrastructure scheme, funded by a transport infrastructure fund. That funding source — CRSTS — can only pay for transport works. It cannot fund public realm improvements, planting, new civic spaces, canal connections or the kind of place-making investment that transforms how a town centre feels to be in.

This matters because the 2021 Sale Town Centre and Movement Strategy, which gave the public their say on Sale's future, proposed exactly those kinds of improvements. None of them are in this scheme.

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Timeline

Subject to funding approvals, construction is expected to begin in early 2027. Public engagement sessions are running through June 2026.

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The proposals in pictures

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Engagement sessions

Trafford Council is holding the following public sessions where residents can view the proposals and ask questions:

Questions by email: saletowncentre@trafford.gov.uk