Five potential routes for the Manchester-to-Sheffield Trans-Pennine tunnel have been outlined after a new study verified the tunnel’s safety and economic benefits.

The project to build a tunnel beneath the Pennines has been labelled the UK’s most ambitious road scheme since the first motorways were built in the late 1950s.

A government-led study launched in autumn 2015 has concluded that the tunnel would halve journey times between the two northern cities, and could provide safer, faster and more reliable journeys for motorists travelling, as well as an economic boost for both cities and the surrounding area.

All five suggested routes join at the east side of Manchester’s M60 to the M1 north of Sheffield, with four options starting at the M67.

John Cridland, chairman of Transport for the North, said that the tunnel “is just one of the visionary projects [we are] working on, as well as other schemes, such as northern powerhouse rail, as we continue to develop a transport and investment strategy to connect the north and transform its economy.”

It is unclear when physical work on the tunnel will begin, but the study forms part of the government’s next phase of road improvements, which will get underway from 2020.