Helipad construction gets underway - Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Thanks to the amazing support of our ‘Time Saves Lives Appeal’, we’ve raised £3.9 million to build a helipad on top of the Grafton Street Car Park, off Oxford Road.

When it’s fully operational in early 2020, it will enable critically ill or injured children, adults and babies to be airlifted straight to Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Saint Mary’s.

Construction work has started on building the helipad on the top floor of this car park, with traffic diversions in place from Friday 7th June. The works will last around six months (completion is expected in January 2020). It has been carefully planned to minimise disruption to staff, patients, visitors and other site users.

This map shows the car park entrance and exit routes. One of the main changes, as a result of the helipad building work, is that motorists are required drive from Grafton Street to Nelson Street, via Oxford Road, to access the car park entrance. This section of road is usually restricted for use by buses, taxis, bicycles and emergency vehicles only. However, in light of the building work, this section of Oxford Road, located between Grafton Street and Nelson Street only, is not subject to traffic restrictions and no fines will be issued for vehicles using this section of highway.

The project will require some road/access changes – please see details on the map (pictured right – click to enlarge) for safe access routes for cars and pedestrians, and follow the direction signs near the car park. This also means allowing additional time to park and get to your destination.

The Trust’s Car Park Staff and Volunteer Team will be available during the construction period, to help with directions and further information.

Extra free Hospital Shuttle Bus services from Grafton Street Car Park to all our hospitals will also be available.

You can download a leaflet about the access changes here and if you have any questions please read our Frequently Asked Questions, contact us at helipad@mft.nhs.uk or follow us on Twitter: @MFTnhs

“The helipad is an amazing project which will help to save so many lives. It will be ‘business as usual’ as far as possible during the construction, and we appreciate your patience while the work is underway,” said Kathy Cowell, MFT Chairman.