WORK to prepare for the multi-million pound guided busway has been carried out on Astley Street in Leigh.

The road, which was closed for three weeks while the work took place, is now open as a one-way single lane and has been raised to form the new guided busway route.

However, residents have slammed the new road with one resident saying it resembles "a ski ramp" and making "traffic congestion worse."

David Bowen, aged 36 from Tyldesley said: "Tyldesley already suffers major congestion issues without the extra traffic signals on Astley Street, Well Street and not mentioning the junction amendments on Stanley Street.

"Looking at the raised section of Astley Street, this now looks like a ski ramp and we all found it difficult to get up the hill in winter and we now have two hills that we need to climb.

"The current roadworks have added approximately ten minutes to my journey at peak times and I only need to get to Atherton from Tyldesley.

"I have not yet seen exact travel times to get from Tyldesley to Manchester using the 'misguided busway' but I am guessing that they will be longer than 20 minutes that it takes now on the train.

"Plus we are yet to see the fare prices but again they would need to be considerably lower than the current train fares.

"The only benefit I can see at the minute is the rejuvenation of Tyldesley Square."

The £68 million guided busway is a 4.5 mile route between Leigh and Ellenbrook and is due for completion at the end of the year.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Head of Programme Management Services, Peter Boulton, said: “The work to change the gradient on Astley Street to allow busway services to cross the junction safely is now complete. "The previous gradient would have made vehicles lurch sideways, which would have been unsafe for passengers.

“All remaining work on Astley Street is due to be completed in early June 2015.

“When complete, the bus priority scheme will make it easier for people to get to jobs, shops, universities, and hospitals in Leigh, Tyldesley, Atherton, Salford and Manchester.

"Passengers will get a premium service for a standard price that will get them to their destination quicker and more frequently.”