IN Brief:
- Transport for Greater Manchester has appointed Willmott Dixon for £17.9m of first-phase works.
- A 57-metre footbridge, tram-platform upgrades, and accessible connections will retain passenger access.
- Construction starts in November 2026 and the phase is scheduled for completion in early 2028.
Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Transport for Greater Manchester to deliver £17.9m of first-phase works at Bury Interchange, including a new steel pedestrian footbridge and improvements to the Metrolink platforms. Construction is due to begin in November 2026, with this initial phase scheduled for completion in early 2028. The contract has been procured through the SCAPE Construction Framework.
A 57-metre steel footbridge will cross the Metrolink tracks between Union Square and a new pedestrian route towards Pyramid Park. It is designed to maintain step-free access to the tram platforms as the wider interchange moves into its second construction phase. The bridge’s connection to a lift and staircase at platform level will keep pedestrian circulation separate from the tracks and provide access when other parts of the interchange are being rebuilt.
TfGM’s published design specifies a Corten steel bridge with a 35-metre central span and two approach spans of approximately 11 metres. The structure is about three metres wide at its centre, narrowing to two metres at either approach, with its steepest gradient at 1:22. Solid side panels, bridge landings and the opening for the platform lift and staircase form part of a continuous accessible connection through an operating transport site.
Midway across the bridge, an opening on its northern side leads to a lift and staircase descending to the tram platforms. The vertical connection allows travellers who cannot use stairs to reach the platforms from the bridge, while an alternative stepped route provides additional capacity. Designing those connections as part of the bridge works avoids creating an accessible crossing that fails to serve the transport facilities beneath it. Their construction will have to be coordinated with platform use and temporary passenger routes.
The tram-platform package includes resurfacing, new canopies, upgraded ticketing facilities and passenger information displays. Lighting, signs, CCTV and driver facilities are also part of the published first-phase programme. These improvements have to be integrated with the existing tram operation and with the permanent access connections, so the project is not limited to a standalone bridge erection. Transport for Greater Manchester says tram services are expected to continue for most of the work, although some temporary changes may be necessary.
Before the main interchange rebuilding begins, TfGM plans temporary stepped access at the northern end of the eastern tram platform. It is intended to open in late 2027 or early 2028 and will offer a more direct link to the town centre. That temporary route will work alongside the permanent bridge and its lift, allowing passenger movements to change as different work areas are handed over. Its stepped form means the permanent lift connection remains essential to the full step-free arrangement.
The first-phase works are the enabling stage of a much larger redevelopment. A second phase, expected to start in early 2028 subject to approvals, would replace the existing interchange with a modern integrated transport building and reconfigured bus facilities. Current proposals include passenger waiting areas, accessible toilets, improved information and security equipment, cycle facilities, public spaces and potential residential development. These components remain subject to design and approval processes and are not all part of Willmott Dixon’s £17.9m award.
TfGM is coordinating the wider scheme with Bury Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority as part of the town-centre masterplan. The second phase would reshape the bus interchange and its passenger facilities, making the first phase’s new bridge and platform connections an enabling element of the larger project. Until then, the contractor must integrate tram-platform work, safe passenger access and construction boundaries within a site that continues to serve existing journeys.
The first phase received planning permission in July 2025. Early discussions with the transport authority’s Disability Design Reference Group helped develop the access proposals, including the bridge and connections to the tram platforms. The published plans set out measurable geometry for the crossing; more detailed construction phasing and any tram service adjustments will be communicated by the transport authority as work progresses.
Willmott Dixon and Transport for Greater Manchester have worked together on previous transport projects, including the £140m Stockport Interchange redevelopment and a separate programme of bus depot electrification works. The Bury contract extends that relationship to another operational transport hub, where temporary passenger access has to be maintained while permanent infrastructure is replaced or upgraded.
The first phase is due to finish in early 2028, ahead of the larger interchange redevelopment. TfGM’s wider plans extend towards 2030 and remain subject to later consultation, design and approvals. Work due to start in November will establish the bridge and platform improvements that passengers will use while the main interchange is reconstructed.
