Weekend closure for M56 upgrade work

A project to transform journeys along one of the busiest sections of motorways in the North West will take a step forward later this month with work to install ‘super-span’ gantries taking place over a whole weekend.

National Highways is investing £85 million in the motorway upgrade between junction 6 at Hale and junction 8 at Bowdon, adding an extra lane in each carriageway and extensive extra technology to help smooth drivers’ journeys through a section of the network carrying up to 100,000 vehicles a day.

As part of a key phase of work, the motorway will be totally closed for a weekend - from 9pm on Friday 25 March to 5.30am on Monday 28 March. The eastbound M56 will be closed from junction 9 at Lymm interchange with the M6 to junction 5 for Manchester Airport; the westbound carriageway will be closed from junction 5 to junction 8 at Bowdon. Clearly-signed diversions will be in place.

The closure will allow a giant, 450 tonne crane to be moved onto the motorway to lift two 60 tonne ‘superspan’ gantries into place across both the eastbound and westbound carriageways.  The gantries will support technology so National Highways’ regional operations centre near Warrington can manage traffic and identify and locate incidents.

National Highways project manager Clare Bond said: 

“We only close a motorway for a weekend in exceptional circumstances but doing the work this way will mean we can avoid multiple separate overnight carriageway closures at other times.

“Getting a crane on site and installing the two huge gantries – which will span eight lanes of the motorway – will be the most visible feature of the weekend’s operation but we will be squeezing in as much other work as possible and also working hard this month to warn drivers far and wide that this is happening.

“We’re urging drivers to spend a little more time planning their journeys during the weekend closure – including checking traffic conditions before setting out, leaving a bit of extra time and following the diversion information.”

Over the weekend, access to Manchester Airport at junction 5 will be maintained via the westbound M56. However, drivers not on airport or local journeys such as those travelling longer distances between Manchester and the Midlands, Wirral, and North Wales are being advised to avoid the area and use alternative motorway routes.   A westbound diversion will operate using the M60, M62 and M6. Drivers from the Midlands and North Wales planning to use the eastbound M56 to head to the airport or Manchester city centre will need to use the M6, M62 and M60 diversion instead.

The final weekend in March has been chosen with few events and no major football in the region.  National Highways has discussing the closure plans with stakeholders such as Manchester Airport and Transport for Greater Manchester for several months.

The four-mile section of motorway between junction 6 at Hale and junction 8 at Bowdon is part of the important corridor between Manchester and Manchester Airport and the Midlands.

As well as installing technology to help provide smoother journeys, National Highways is busy converting the hard shoulders to add an extra running lane to both the westbound and eastbound carriageways.

A new central reservation concrete safety barrier, low noise surfacing, four emergency areas – providing a place to stop in the event of break downs or other emergencies – and technology to alert the control centre to breakdowns and incidents will also have been installed before the extra lanes open to drivers by the end of the year.

The roll-out of new all lane running (ALR) smart motorways was paused by the government in January to allow five years’ worth of safety and economic data to be collected. However, work on stretches already under construction – such as the M56 – is continuing because these stretches are all more than half completed and leaving traffic management in place throughout the five-year pause would significantly disrupt drivers.

When these stretches are open they will all have technology in place to detect stopped vehicles – normally within 20 seconds – to give added reassurance to drivers who stop in a live lane.

More information about the M56 motorway upgrade is available on the project webpage.

Pictured - Aerial view of the M56 project at its western end near junction 7.