The cost of the long-awaited Middlewich Bypass scheme has shot up by more than £3m since February and now stands at an estimated £95.74m.

Cheshire East's highways committee is next week expected to approve a funding strategy for the scheme and to submit a full business case to the Department for Transport to secure grant funding of £46.8m towards the cost.

Once the DfT funding is in place, the council can then enter into the contract with Balfour Beatty to construct the scheme.

It is anticipated the main works will start in spring 2024, with an estimated 34-month construction period.

A report to Thursday's meeting of the highways and transport committee states: "The previous scheme costs estimate from February 2023 was for £92.5m…. The increase [to £95.74m] is due to recent volatile market conditions resulting in exceptional levels of inflation in the construction sector which has affected the prices of the work packages from the supply chain."

HS2 has agreed to contribute approximately £1.73m towards the bypass as the new road will help in accommodating HS2 phase 2b traffic when that scheme is being constructed. That is more than half the current £3.24m funding gap.

Highways officers have recommended the £3.4m needed comes from the council's existing strategic capital projects budget and that that budget be reimbursed when HS2 pays its contribution.

In total, the DfT will contribute grant funding of £48.06m and the remaining £47.68m will come from local contributions, of which of £22.87m will come from S106 developer contributions and £24.81m from the council's own funds.

The bypass scheme involves the construction of a new 2.7km single carriageway road to the east of Middlewich, connecting the A54 Holmes Chapel Road to the A533 Booth Lane.

The report states: "The scheme will provide traffic routes which will avoid Middlewich town centre, relieving congestion and significantly contributing to the delivery of objectives within the local plan strategy – supporting the economic growth targets of Middlewich and the sub-region, which aim for up to 1,950 new dwellings and about 6,500 additional jobs in the town."

It adds that Middlewich is expected to accommodate development of 70 hectares of employment land and the bypass is required to release a substantial proportion of this land.

The highways meeting takes place at 10am on Thursday, September 21 at Macclesfield Town Hall.