Work on a £5m project to improve walking and cycling routes in Bolton town centre is due to begin on Monday 12 October.

Phase one will focus on resurfacing roads and repaving footpaths on Bradshawgate and Great Moor Street. Side roads will be changed to give pedestrians priority, and the pedestrian crossing on Bradshawgate near Nelson Square will be upgraded.

Four junctions will also be upgraded to make it easier and safer for people on foot and on bikes to get around the town centre.

Bolton Council said traffic management would be in place throughout construction, with "disruption kept to a minimum". According to the council, work on Great Moor Street is scheduled to run from October to December, followed by Bradshawgate, with remaining Great Moor Street works planned for January to April 2027.

Funding was first granted in 2023 from the Greater Manchester Mayor's Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said work was delayed by the need to prepare for the demolition and regeneration of Crompton Place, which is now under way.

Councillor Nadeem Ayub, Bolton Council's executive member for highways, transport and planning, said better links to the bus and train stations "will make it easier and safer for people to get around", adding: "It will help make a town centre we can all enjoy and be proud of."

Sources: Bolton Council; BBC News (Local Democracy Reporting Service). This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.