Woodhead Pass
The Woodhead Pass is a transpennine crossing on the A628 road between Manchester and Sheffield in the Peak District. It reaches a maximum altitude of 1,486 feet after crossing from Cheshire into Yorkshire.
The crossing replaced the A57 Snake Pass in the early 20th century, being less arduous. Indeed, the route is mostly made up of more gentle gradients and curves than the Snake Pass, however it is still heavily congested, owing to the large amount of goods vehicles that use the route. This is due to the A628 being the major route between Manchester and Sheffield, and affords a shorter route compared to the motorway (M26, M1) route.
In the 1960s and 1970s there were plans to upgrade this busy route by extending the M67 from Mottram, past Stocksbridge and on to the M1. Various ideas were proposed, including using the nearby Woodhead railway tunnels as part of the route.
Most recently, in 2016 a study paper into transpennine crossings was published.
Outside links
- Location maps: 53°29’44"N, 1°47’49"W
- Woodhead Pass on SABRE
- Pathetic Motorways: M67 - Detailed information on the proposed M67 upgrade along the route.