M56 motorway

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox road The M56 motorway serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately Template:Convert north of Chester. With a length of Template:Convert, it connects North Wales and the Wirral peninsula with much of the rest of North West England, serves business and commuter traffic heading towards Manchester, particularly that from the wider Cheshire area, and provides the main road access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.Template:Cn

Between junctions 9 and 16, the motorway forms part of the unsigned European route E22 on its route in the UK between Holyhead in Anglesey and Immingham in Lincolnshire.

Route

Although the main line of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 begins on the Sharston Spur (also known as the Sharston Bypass)Template:According to whom where it leaves the M60 motorway at its junction 4 (clockwise exit and anticlockwise entry), adjacent to where the slip roads for the A34 to and from Manchester merge and diverge. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the main line at junction 3, increasing the motorway from two lanes to four in each direction.

The motorway then heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west before crossing into Cheshire at the River Bollin underbridge. It runs to the south of Hale before reaching junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same interchange complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M),Template:Cn but is now a single 270-degree loop between the southbound onslip from Bowdon roundabout to the westbound carriageway since the A556 towards the M6 motorway was upgraded to dual carriageway in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Traffic destined for the southbound M6 is directed to leave here (because there are no corresponding slip roads at its own junction) and so the junction can suffer from congestion.Template:According to whom Traffic levels on the mainline drop significantly as the motorway begins to assume a more traditional feel (three lanes and a hard shoulder per direction) whilst passing between Broomedge and High Legh.

After meeting the M6 at junction 9, the motorway passes south of Appleton Thorn and Stretton before reaching the outskirts of Runcorn at junction 11, near to where it also crosses over the Bridgewater Canal and the West Coast Main Line. On the other side of the town lies junction 12, whose northern roundabout morphed into a signalised hamburger junctionTemplate:Clarify when the Mersey Gateway bridge was built.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The concrete multi-span Weaver Viaduct (crossing both the river and its navigation course) immediately follows junction 12 and offers views of the town of Frodsham and its railway viaduct, along with the INEOS chemical plant and Rocksavage Power Station on the opposite side. Between junctions 12 and 14, it runs parallel to the River Mersey, Manchester Ship Canal, a 400Template:NbspkV overhead power line and the Chester-Warrington railway. After meeting the M53 motorway, the road finally returns to two lanes, it proceeds between Chester to the south and Ellesmere Port to its termination at Dunkirk, Cheshire, where it becomes the A494.

Traffic destined for North Wales can use either the M53 or the A494 to reach the A55.

The motorway is fully lit between the M60 and junction 6 (including all of its spurs) along with the junctions with both the M6 and M53.

There are two motorway service areas on the M56: Chester (operated by Roadchef) and Lymm (operated by Moto, which is also accessible from the M6).

History

The first proposal for a motorway across north Cheshire was mooted in 1947 in a report commissioned by Cheshire County Council,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> with a line for the route of the motorway being agreed in 1958 between the council and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.<ref name="Motorway archive" /> The first section, announced in November 1963 by the transport minister Ernest Marples, was a southwards extension of the Princess Parkway from Wythenshawe in Manchester to the A56 and A556 at Bowdon which entered the Trunk Road Programme for 1967/1968.<ref name="Motorway archive">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Construction began in 1968,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the motorway opened in stages between 1971 and 1981:Template:Cn

Proposals existed for an extension into North Wales across the proposed Dee Barrage,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but these have never materialised.

The carriageway between junctions 4 and 6 was widened from the original dual three-lane configuration to dual four lanes during the 1990s as part of a nationwide motorway widening programme first proposed in the 1989 Roads to Prosperity white paper.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Junction 5 became a lane drop/gainTemplate:Clarify in both directions whereas junction 4 was reconfigured from a two-bridge roundabout to a signalised half-diamondTemplate:Clarify with a single bridge.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Prior to 2008, the western end of the motorway terminated at a roundabout on the A5117. Work began in 2006 to grade-separateTemplate:Clarify this junction (and others) to allow free-flowing traffic between the motorway and the A550 at Deeside in North Wales, meaning that the mainline motorway no longer connects to the roundabout (it meets the extended A494 head-on Template:Convert east),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with the former eastbound carriageway retained as an on-slip.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Construction

Wythenshawe to Gatley

Junctions 1 to 3. The route was fixed in April 1970.<ref>Runcorn Guardian Thursday 9 April 1970, page 10</ref> The contract for the western section was given in February 1973 to Peter Lind & Company for £1,245,700.<ref>Runcorn Guardian Friday 16 February 1973, page 17</ref> The eastern section contract, for around £5Template:Nbspmillion, was given to Leonard Fairclough & Son in December 1971. The western section opened in May 1975, and the eastern section opened in March 1974.

Bowdon to Wythenshawe

Junctions 3a to 7, Template:Convert. The route was fixed in early April 1968, to start at the end of 1968.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 4 April 1968, page 5</ref> The contract was given at the end of July 1969, for £6,727,920 to Holland, Hannen & Cubitts.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 24 July 1969, page 5</ref> It opened in January 1972. <ref>Liverpool Echo Tuesday 28 December 1971, page 12</ref> The tensioned central reservation barrier was made by Hill & Smith of Brierley Hill, then in Staffordshire.<ref>Runcorn Guardian Friday 7 January 1972, page 14</ref>

Preston Brook to Bowdon

Junctions 7 to 11, Template:Convert. The draft route was announced December 1969 by Fred Mulley.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 4 December 1969, page 8</ref> The inquiry was at Stockton Heath in July 1970.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 28 May 1970, page 2</ref> The route was fixed in September 1971 by Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 9 September 1971, page 2</ref> In October 1972, contracts were given by Graham Page for £6.3Template:Nbspmillion to Marples Ridgway for Preston Brook to Lymm, and to Robert McGregor & Sons for Template:Convert from Lymm to Bowdon for £4.65Template:Nbspmillion.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 5 October 1972, page 7</ref><ref>Liverpool Echo Friday 29 September 1972, page 10</ref> The Croft Interchange (junction 9), with the M6, took up Template:Convert of land.<ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 26 April 1974, page 14</ref> Bowdon to Lymm (7 to 9) opened in December 1974.<ref>Liverpool Echo Friday 6 December 1974, page 7</ref><ref>Cheshire Observer Friday 13 December 1974, page 6</ref> Preston Brook to Lymm (9 to 11) was opened in July 1975 by Gordon Oakes; the section should have opened in the autumn of 1974, but was held up by bad weather.<ref>Liverpool Echo Thursday 3 July 1975, page 3</ref><ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 10 July 1975, page 4</ref>

Hapsford to Preston Brook

Junctions 11 to 14, Template:Convert. The Template:Convert bridge over the Chester–Warrington line, at Clifton, was built with PTFE joints and rolled into place in October 1968, known as incremental launch; it was built by Leonard Fairclough & Son, and designed by Husband & Company.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 3 October 1968, page 16</ref> The contract for the Hapsford to Preston Brook section was given on in November 1968, for £6.07Template:Nbspmillion to Christiani-Shand, for 8Template:Nbspmiles to take 24Template:Nbspmonths, and to be finished by December 1970, with main work started in December 1968.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 7 November 1968, page 8</ref><ref>Derby Evening Telegraph Monday 11 November 1968, page 7</ref> Hapsford to Sutton Weaver (12 to 14) opened in February 1971 at 11Template:Nbspam. The A557 to Preston Brook (11 to 12), Template:Convert, opened in September 1971.<ref>Runcorn Weekly News Thursday 23 September 1971, page 22</ref>

Lea-by-Backford to Hapsford

Junctions 14 to 16. Plans were extended eastwards Template:Convert to Lea-by-Backford.<ref>Liverpool Echo Tuesday 8 May 1973, page 7</ref> It had originally been planned as a trunk road corridor, that was belatedly upgraded to be built as a motorway, and the western section had only two lanes, much like a trunk road. The first two were contracts awarded in February 1978.<ref>Cheshire Observer Friday 17 February 1978, page 12</ref> The last contract of the M56 from Stoak to Lea-by-Backford was awarded in September 1978. The contract for the southerly M531 to Hoole had not yet been given.<ref>Cheshire Observer Friday 15 September 1978, page 7</ref><ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 15 September 1978, page 1</ref>

The last section was started October 1978 by Alfred McAlpine. Percy Bilton Ltd of Stone, Staffordshire, built the Stoak Interchange itself. The M56 section opened in March 1981. The section from Stoak to Lea-by-Backford was two-lane only. The one-mile section of the two-lane M531 from the A5117 south to the M56 Stoak Interchange, was also opened on 18 March 1981, being built by Leonard Fairclough & Son. The M531 would become the M53, when it fully opened in 1982.<ref>Cheshire Observer Friday 13 March 1981, page 30</ref><ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 20 March 1981, page 21</ref> This £18Template:Nbspmillion section was three months late, as construction of the Stoak Interchange had caused the hold up. Hapsford to east of Stoak cost £5.42Template:Nbspmillion; the Stoak Interchange cost £4.84Template:Nbspmillion; Stoak to Lea-by-Backford cost £4.32Template:Nbspmillion. The M531 from Little Stanney to Stoak cost £3.46Template:Nbspmillion.<ref>Runcorn Guardian Friday 20 March 1981, page 7</ref> The final section of the M531 was to open in 1982, from south of Stoak to the A56 near Chester, built by Monk. The M531 was originally planned to be extended to cross the Chester bypass, and terminate on the A41 at Upton-by-Chester, west of Hoole.<ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 16 July 1971, page 6</ref> The M531 extension was planned to open mid-July 1982;<ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 26 March 1982, page 3</ref> the remaining Template:Convert M531 section opened in July 1982, costing £14Template:Nbspmillion.<ref>Chester Chronicle Friday 30 July 1982, page 21</ref>

This contains the only section of the motorway paved with concrete, between junctions 15 and 16. Where it crosses the floodplain of the River Gowy, the carriageway sits on an embankment made of sandstone from a special-purpose quarry, which was constructed to replace existing peat deposits. The junction with the M53 at Stoak was also included in the construction contracts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The M53 Mid Wirral Motorway was mostly built in 1971; it was originally planned to terminate on the A41 at Great Sutton, with a continuation of the Chester bypass to cross an east-west trunk dual carriageway, east of the present western terminus of the M56.<ref>Cheshire Observer Friday 16 January 1970, page 29</ref>

Junctions

Ceremonial county	Location	mi	km	Junction	Destinations	Notes
Greater Manchester	Wythenshawe	0	0	1<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Stockport, Sheffield, Leeds Template:Jct – Manchester city centre, Didsbury	Exits to M60 Eastbound and A34 Northbound only Entrance from M60 Westbound and A34 southbound only
		1.2	1.9	2<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Wythenshawe, Cheadle, Wilmslow, Altrincham, Baguley	No Eastbound exit or Westbound entrance
		1.9	3.1	3<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Stockport, Didsbury, Sheffield, Leeds	No Northbound entrance or Southbound exit Small spur going to junction 3a
		—		3a<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Altrincham, Wythenshawe, Cheadle Template:Jct – Manchester city centre, Liverpool, Bolton
		2.8	4.5	4<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Sharston, Newall Green	No Southbound entrance or Northbound exit
	Hale Barns	3.4	5.4	5<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Manchester Airport
		4.3	6.9	6<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield
Cheshire	Bowdon	7.9	12.8	7<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Lymm, Altrincham Template:Jct – Northwich, Template:Jct – Birmingham
	Warrington	13.2	21.2	9<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Birmingham, Preston, Leeds, Manchester Template:Jct – Warrington, Appleton, Knutsford
		16.3	26.2	10<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Whitchurch, Warrington Template:Jct – Northwich
	Runcorn	19.3	31.1	11<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Northwich, Warrington
		22.3	35.8	12<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Frodsham, Runcorn
	Ellesmere Port	27.4	44.2	14<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Helsby, Frodsham, Stanlow
		30.6	49.3	15<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Chester, Wrexham, Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead	No Eastbound exits or Westbound entrances
		34.0	54.8	16<ref group=coord>Template:Coord</ref>	Template:Jct – Queensferry Template:Jct – Chester Template:Jct – Ellesmere Port	Coordinate list <references group=coord/> M56 motorway junctions mile km Eastbound exits (B Carriageway) Junction Westbound exits (A Carriageway) Motorway merges onto M60 continuing towards Stockport M60 J4 Start of motorway (Sharston Spur) Manchester City Centre, Didsbury A34 J1 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) J2 Altrincham, Wythenshawe A560, Liverpool (M62), Bolton (M61) (M60) Manchester City Centre, (M60(N&W)), (M62(W)), (M61) (A5103) J3 (TOTSO EB) Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) 7.2 11.6 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) J4 Wythenshawe 7.8 12.6 Manchester Template:Rail-interchange J5 Manchester Template:Rail-interchange, Quarry Bank Mill 8.9 14.3 Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield A538 J6 Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield, Manchester Airport Freight Terminal A538 Entering Greater Manchester River Bollin River Bollin Entering Cheshire 12.4 19.9 Northwich A556, Altrincham A56 J7 Birmingham (M6(S)), Northwich A556, Lymm A56 Template:No2 No access J8 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) 17.6 28.3 Preston, Birmingham M6, Leeds, Manchester (N) (M62), Lymm (A50) Lymm Truck Stop J9 Services Preston M6, Liverpool (M62), Warrington, Lymm (A50) Lymm Truck Stop 20.8 33.4 Warrington, Northwich A49 J10 Northwich, Warrington A49 23.8 38.3 Runcorn (East), Warrington A56 J11 Preston Brook, Daresbury A56 26.8 43.1 Liverpool Template:Rail-interchange, Runcorn, Widnes A557 J12 Liverpool Template:Rail-interchange, Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes A557 Weaver Viaduct 31.9 51.4 Stanlow, Helsby A5117 Chester services J14 Services Helsby, Stanlow, Chester Zoo A5117 Chester services 34.5 55.6 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) J15 Chester, Wrexham M53 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead M53 Start of motorway File:UK motorway symbol.svg J16 Template:No2 No access Ellesmere Port A5117, Whitchurch (A41) Non-motorway traffic End of motorway File:Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway.svg Road continues as A494 towards North Wales Princess Parkway Spur End of motorway File:Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway.svg Road continues as A5103 towards Manchester J3A Sharston, Altrincham, Baguley A560 Altrincham, Wythenshawe, Wythenshawe File:UK traffic sign 827.2.svg, Cheadle A560 Start of motorway (Princess Parkway Spur) File:UK motorway symbol.svg Airport Spur End of motorway File:Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway.svg Wilmslow, Wythenshawe A555 (B5166), Business Park, Terminal 3 Terminal 1, File:UK traffic sign 543.svg Start of motorway (Airport Spur) File:UK motorway symbol.svg Terminal 2 Template:No2 No access (on-slip only) Template:Jctbtm Data from driver location signs is used to provide distance information.<ref>Driver Location Signs, Highway Agency Area 10 (map) - Highway Authority, 2009</ref> Junction 7 slip closures At junction 7 in July 2009, the slip road letting traffic come in southbound along the M56 and turn onto the A556 southbound was closed while the bridge where it crosses the M56 (the Bowdon View Bridge), which for many years had had a weight restriction, was worked on; traffic intending to use it had to carry on to junction 10 and there turn round, or go through the centre of Altrincham; traffic for the nearby Tatton Park Flower Show, and the resulting closure to through traffic of the minor road along the southwest edge of Tatton Park from Ashley, Cheshire to Mere, Cheshire (which would otherwise have acted as a bypass for people living in the area), added to the resulting congestion. In October and November 2010, the bridge was demolished and replaced.<ref name="BBC News">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Thorley Lane bridge replacement On Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March 2015, the new concrete girders of the Thorley Lane bridge a little north of Manchester Airport were put in. (The old bridge was demolished because it was found to be cracking.) The M56 was closed over that weekend for this. This caused much traffic congestion from M56 traffic diverted through Altrincham and Wythenshawe and along Styal Road and Kingsway, starting on Thursday 26 March because of work putting cones on the carriageway. Traffic counts <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref> Section Capacity AADT (2019) Count point data J1-J2 D2 96,643 Template:Decrease 6046, 73773 J2-J3 72,019 Template:Increase 36045 J3-J3A (Princess Parkway Spur) D3 102,674 Template:Increase 99833 J3-J4 D4 174,693 Template:Increase 26047 J4-J5 150,675 Template:Decrease 6047 Airport Spur D2 67,863 Template:Increase 89289 J5-J6 D4 138,257 Template:Increase 16044 J6-J7 D3 118,528 Template:Increase 46044 J7-J8 82,528 Template:Increase 8025 J8-J9 87,582 Template:Increase 6048 J9-J10 117,996 Template:Decrease 56047, 73275 J10-J11 107,049 Template:Decrease 16045, 73448 J11-J12 100,488 Template:Decrease 46045 J12-J14 113,408 Template:Decrease 26049, 73282 J14-J15 120,523 Template:Increase 7831 J15-J16 D2 44,042 Template:Increase 37919 Upgrades Junction J6 to J8 Smart Motorway The government announced in August 2015<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref> that the motorway between junctions 6 and 8 would be upgraded to a smart motorway as part of its Northern Powerhouse strategy; work began in 2020 and was completed in early 2023, originally anticipated for late 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref> The project will with the exception of the slip roads at the airport junction give the motorway four running lanes on each carriageway between junctions 6 and 8, with an already existing standard motorway with 4 lanes from junction 6 to junction 3. As the work on the lanes is finished, the temporary speed limit was increased to 60mph in March 2023, with all lanes open. The 70mph national speed limit was to be reapplied when National Highways systems finished final commissioning work. Junction 11a There was also to be a new junction 11a at Runcorn between the existing junctions 11 and 12 to relieve heavy congestion on this stretch and serve the new Mersey Gateway bridge. However, this project was cancelled by Highways England in Spring 2020 as it didn't represent value for money.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}</ref> M56 corridor "The M56 corridor" is a term used by estate agents and social geographers to describe what is considered to be a relatively affluent area of North West England, within easy reach of the M56. The area includes the cities of Manchester and Chester, and commuter towns and villages in rural Cheshire. It also includes Warrington and Runcorn, where the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are prominent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web }}Template:Subscription required</ref> See also List of motorways in the United Kingdom Chester to Manchester Line References External links The Motorway Archive - M56