The new Reaseheath bypass has again been delayed and will not be open until at least June 2026, it emerged today.
And those behind the construction, a consortium of Kingsbourne housing developers, laid the blame for the delay at the door of Cheshire East Council highways.
It comes as residents say road closures in and around Reaseheath this week have caused chaos with many vehicles not realising the A51 is shut in the evenings.
They said many larger vehicles have become stranded on the A51 in Reaseheath when they get to the roundabout where works are taking place all this week (December 8th-15th) for carriageway improvements between 7pm and 6am.
A Cheshire East Council traffic order on the Reaseheath roundabout appears to be in place until January 31 for work to join up the new “bypass” onto the roundabout and to install a footpath.
However, Nantwich News was told today that the new bypass – which Cheshire East Council said would be open by October this year – is still months away from being ready.
A spokesperson for the Kingsbourne consortium told us: “The A51 works have been delayed while we await approval on further details from the Highway Authority.
“We continue to work closely with Cheshire East Council to progress this. Completion is now expected by June 2026.”
We have approached Cheshire East Council highways on numerous occasions, and again this week, but without a response.
Current works also means Barony Road is closed on the approach to Reaseheath roundabout while the works take place.
The A51 Nantwich Bypass between Reaseheath and the Alvaston/Sainsbury’s roundabout is also closed overnight this week for “carriageway improvements”.
And Main Road, from the direction of Worleston and Church Minshull, is also shut overnight during the works.
One Reaseheath resident said: “It’s been mayhem! Lorries trying to get through from Chester end then realise road is closed but can’t turn around.
“Police have had to come out to direct traffic.”
Another resident on Kingsbourne added: “I saw in September that the roundabout was supposed to open by the end of the year. Which year?
“The problem here is that there is no information that reaches all householders let alone the wider community.
“A resident of nearly four years when it was supposed to be already open.”
The new road was originally scheduled to open in February 2022.
When it opens, it will connect the new Kingsbourne development to the A51 at Reaseheath, designed to free up the bottleneck of traffic leaving the estate on Waterlode.
But some residents fear it will also create a rat-run for traffic coming from Chester and into the town centre.
@ Phil
“The road has been badly designed and is not wide enough to carry HGV traffic In volume.”
Have a look at an aerial photo, the new road appears wider by about 20% than the existing A51. Whats your evidence for it not being wide enough?
No doubt “Phil” will respond, but it’s a fair bet that rat-running into Nantwich town centre will show that Reaseheath Way is most certainly not wide enough and parked cars there will doubtless lead to traffic being stuck completely and gridlock.
I think many correspondents are being unkind to the councillors of Cheshire East. I have believed, for some time, that we have the best councillors that money can buy!
Totally agree.
The timing and phasing on these lights used to be good and were reactive to traffic by sensors in the road.
Since the resurfacing they don’t appear to be reactive and sit on green with nothing coming or let 3 cars through from a long queue.
They don’t want to open the road……
If and when they do ……
It will expose the reason…
The road has been badly designed and is not wide enough to carry HGV traffic In volume.
A complete and utter cock up.
If CEC can’t get this right …what else do they get wrong that we don’t know about?
🥴
The feared Tatum already exists – everyone is now using Welshmans Lane and for those of us who live on that lane it is a living nightmare. Now we are told it’s going to on for another 6 months – it is utterly ludicrous.
Too many people from the south have moved to the area, and infrastructure is not in place
Absolutely no notification that the road is closed in the evening, total incompetence on the part of Cheshire East and the contractors
The A51 is already OVERLOADED with HEAVY CONGESTED traffic, which is not sustainable.
This new bypass: Quote: When it opens, it will connect the new Kingsbourne development to the A51 at Reaseheath, designed to free up the bottleneck of traffic leaving the estate on Waterlode. Unquote.
Yet, it will create ANOTHER bottleneck on the A51 going toward Chester. More traffic, which the already OVERLOADED A51 cannot cope with.
More reason to travel to Chester, Nantwich decline continues, driven by CE incompetence to ensure infrastructure works and their misguided strategy to fill all premises is Nantwich irrespective of their abilities to attract visitors e.g. Vape , barbers whilst more charity shops do not drive economic growth
I sit in this traffic at 5.30 every single weekday and think exactly the same.
Surely they must realise most of the traffic from Crewe direction to Chester direction will be coming back the opposite way later that evening?
Well it need resurfacing by then. I hope nobodies bought the paint for the road too !
And we wonder why CEC is in such a financial mess, this could have been open a number of years ago contributing to the local economy. Instead we get the chuckle brothers of blame …it’s them ….it’s you…..
Another example of total incompetence by Cheshire East Council .
The question is what is this costing the Council Tax Payer?
Who is bearing the additional costs? It would be interesting to be told details of the cost overrun. CEC should make public the unredacted Sect 106 agreement and identify issues.
I would like to take the opportunity to raise another issue in this area. The traffic light phasing at Burford/Bluestones lights is ridiculous at present. Traffic from Chester is let through 4 or 5 cars at a time, causing the slip road to Crewe direction being blocked. All this while the road from Wrexham direction is on green for nearly 30 seconds for only 5 or 6 cars. Traffic regularly backs up on the chester road to the old Car Transplants or further. Do they just set it and forget it. Surely this needs to be reviewed. Not surprised about the by pass delay we expect this all the time in this town.
Another #CheshireEast cock up.
Opening of new road in Nantwich will be over FOUR YEARS behind schedule.
“New A51 Reaseheath bypass opening delayed again until June 2026.”
https://thenantwichnews.co.uk/2025/12/11/new-a51-reaseheath-bypass-opening-delayed-again-until-june-2026/
There’s obviously a problem of some sort – does anyone know what it is?