The 23-mile road, which is used by more than 30,000 vehicles each week, has seen five people lose their lives and 62 become seriously injured between 2018 and 2023.
In a bid to reduce those numbers, the Department for Transport has announced £7.6million for major safety improvements along the route as part of the Government’s Safer Roads Fund.
The proposed safety improvements, subject to the results of a public consultation later this year, include:
- Up to 10 average speed camera sites along the route, with speed limit reminder signs.
- Improving the junction of the A57 and Manor Park Road in Glossop, to narrow the road and reduce the time it takes for pedestrians to cross the road.
- A pedestrian crossing at the Dinting Vale viaduct, to provide a safer walking route for pedestrians to the railway station.
- Advanced ‘road restraint’ safety barriers, designed to prevent motorcyclists sliding under existing safety barriers, to reduce potential injuries.
- Anti-skid friction surfacing, at bends and existing collisions sites, to help minimise braking distances.
We’re really pleased we have secured, through our relationship with government, £7.6million to fix problems on the A57 Snake Pass. The road is an incredibly important route both economically and for tourism between Sheffield and Manchester. It has always had a reputation as being a dangerous road to use and I welcome this funding as part of the project to make it safer.
“In Sheffield, we’re committed to eliminating all fatalities and serious injuries on our roads, as part of our Vision Zero ambition and this includes the section of the A57 between the junction with Hagg Hill to the Sheffield boundary with Derbyshire. The additional £1.7million from the Safer Roads Fund means that we can now introduce engineering measures to make this route safer.
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee
The money will be split between Sheffield City Council and Derbyshire County Council (DCC). DCC will manage the delivery of the road safety improvements.