M56 upgrade moves to 70mph

The upgrade of the M56 between Altrincham and Hale in Greater Manchester has moved to operation at 70 mph. Operation at the maximum national speed limit of 70mph was introduced on the stretch of smart motorway following work to calibrate technology, including stopped vehicle detection. A separate project involving overnight work to resurface lanes along […]

New £27 million motorway bridge springing into life in Cheshire

National Highways’ newest bridge will open to drivers next week – ‘future-proofing a vital connection for residents, commuters and businesses’ across the M56 near Runcorn in Cheshire, according to the organisation. The completion of the 18-month project will see the new A533 Expressway bridge between junction 11 and junction 12 of the M56 opening to […]

Lanes open on upgraded M56

An extra lane’s been opened on each carriageway of the M56 between Altrincham and Hale in Greater Manchester, designed to to improve journey times and reliability for the tens of thousands of drivers who use the route daily. The upgrade between junction 6 for Hale Barns and junction 8 at Bowdon cost £85 million. The […]

Plans set out for improvements to M56 Junction 6 as part of HS2 works

The builders of HS2 have published plans which aim to radically improve capacity at Junction 6 of the M56 to support future growth and development aspirations around the proposed new HS2/Norther Powerhouse Rail station at Manchester Airport. The proposals, developed in conjunction with National Highways, suggest relocating Junction 6 of the motorway to the southwest […]

M56 smart motorway opening delayed for SVD

National Highways says there’ll be a delay in opening the £85 million upgrade of the M56 between junction 6 for Hale and 8 for Bowden because of the need to introduce Stopped Vehicle Detection technology. The four-mile section is one of the busiest in the North West, carrying 100,000 vehicles a day and is having […]