Construction work to begin on major M56 upgrade

Construction work is due to commence this month on an upgrade to the M56 in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, Highways England has confirmed.

The stretch of the M56 set for improvements, from Junction 6 at Hale to Junction 8 at Bowdon, carries over 100,000 vehicles per day as part of the key transport corridor from Greater Manchester to the Midlands, via the M6, and is among the most used roads in the North West.

To tackle congestion on the route, an extra lane will be added on either carriageway to increase capacity for commuters into Greater Manchester, airport users and other traffic. The £85 million upgrade began earlier this year with drainage works, with construction of the additional lanes of traffic to commence in November.

Highways England project manager Clare Bond said:

The start of the main construction work is a significant milestone for this project which will ease congestion and make journeys more reliable once it opens to drivers in 2022.

“This is one of the busiest sections of motorway in the North West but using the contraflow system during construction will allow us to keep all the motorway lanes open during the day with occasional overnight lane and carriageway closures.”

As well as through use of a contraflow system, Highways England is working with local partners including the airport and football clubs to minimise disruption, as well as colleagues working on improvement works on the M6.

Main construction works on the M56 upgrade are expected to complete by March 2022, delivering increased traffic capacity and reduced congestion, provide more reliable journey times and and increase the quality of information for drivers through smart signage.