A brand new road to improve access to MediaCityUK and The Quays was opened today, marking the first stage of a package of transport improvements to the area ahead of MediaCityUK opening in 2011.
The new Broadway extension road will link up the Centenary Way roundabout and Coronet Way with the existing Broadway Road, offering a new access route to MediaCityUK and The Quays from the Eccles side of the city and junction 2 of the M602.
The new road is paid for by site developers Peel Media as part of the MediaCityUK project. It was constructed by Balfour Beatty and Urban Vision, and will be adopted by Salford City Council.
The road is just the first stage of a comprehensive transport plan to ensure improved access to The Quays and MediaCityUK from across the city and the region.
This work is being co-ordinated by the MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners – a partnership of Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency working together with site developers Peel Media.
A new Metrolink tram service to MediaCityUK will begin in late September with new trams and a new tram stop at the heart of the piazza. Combined with the existing Harbour City service, this will result in a six minute service to The Quays.
Local Salford residents in Pendleton and Ordsall will find it easier to reach MediaCityUK on foot with improvements to the pedestrian underpass at the M602 roundabout and improvements to Cross Lane, Trafford Road, Broadway, Albion Way and the Quays Loop Road.
Cyclists will be well catered for with 300 cycle racks around MediaCityUK and improved cycle paths into and around The Quays area.
The Irwell River Park project will also develop accessible walk and cycle ways along the River Irwell from MediaCityUK to Manchester city centre and out to the University of Salford, while a range of new bus routes to link up the city and the region are currently in development.
Councillor John Merry, leader of Salford City Council said: “This new link road is just the start of a co-ordinated programme of transport improvements designed to connect local residents, businesses and visitors to MediaCityUK and The Quays. Salford communities will be better placed to take advantage of the huge job and leisure opportunities MediaCityUK will bring to the city.
Bryan Gray, chairman, Peel Media said: “The successful delivery of the Broadway extension marks an important staging post in the ongoing development of MediaCityUK. High quality transport links are essential for everyone who will need access to MediaCityUK, as we build towards the completion of phase one at the end of 2011.”
About MediaCityUK
MediaCityUK is a long-term development for the creative and digital industries situated on a huge waterfront site at Salford Quays, just a few minutes from central Manchester. The first phase is spread over 36 acres but there is the potential to utilise the entire site of 200 acres over the next decade, depending on demand.
MediaCityUK is being developed and managed by Peel Media, a division of the Peel Group, one of the leading property and transport companies in the UK, with an asset value in excess of £5 billion. In total, Peel Media’s investment in phase one of MediaCityUK will amount to £500 million.
The BBC will move around 2,500 staff to MediaCityUK from 2011 onwards. This will involve relocating five London-based departments, along with all local and network broadcasting currently operating out of Manchester city centre.
The University of Salford have committed to a new higher education centre at MediaCityUK, which will accommodate more than 700 students and staff.
Peel Media is working in partnership with Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Northwest Vision and Media.
www.mediacityuk.co.uk
www.youtube.com/officialmediacityuk
MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners are Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
They are working together with Peel Media across a range of programmes and projects to ensure MediaCityUK meets its ambition to become a globally significant media city with visible, long term benefits for the people living and working in Salford, the Northwest and beyond.
www.salford.gov.uk/mediacityuk
For more information on the MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners please contact:
Emma Foster
Marketing and communications officer
Tel: 0161 660 3694
emma.foster@salford.gov.uk
