M56 motorway
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| M56 Motorway | |
 Road of the United Kingdom |
|
| Length | 35 miles (56.3 km) |
| Direction | East - West |
| Start | Cheadle |
| Primary destinations | Manchester Airport Wythenshawe Warrington Runcorn Ellesmere Port Chester |
| End | Mollington |
| Construction dates | 1971 - 1981 |
| Motorways joined | 1 -  M60 motorway 9 -  M6 motorway 15 -  M53 motorway |
| Euroroute(s) | |
The M56 is a motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Mollington and is 35 miles (56 km) in length. The motorway is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales as well as providing access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.
The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22.
Contents |
[edit] Route
Although the mainline of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 actually begins on the Sharston Spur. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the mainline at junction 3, going up from two lanes to four, to accommodate Manchester Airport traffic.
The road now heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west. It then runs to the south of Hale, going down to three lanes. It passes junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M)[1]). The current proposals are to upgrade the A556 to a dual carrigeway[2]. Traffic for the southbound M6 leaves here and this junction can suffer from congestion. The motorway then enters a more rural setting, continuing between Broomedge and High Legh.
After meeting the M6 motorway it passes south of Appleton Thorn. After reaching junction 11, it runs through the outskirts of Runcorn and Frodsham. Between junctions 12 and 14, and the missing junction 13, it runs parallel to the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. 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 a roundabout at Mollington.
Traffic for North Wales can take either the M53 or A5117 to reach the A55.
[edit] History
The first proposal for a road along this route was agreed in 1958 and it entered the Trunk Road Programme for 1967/1968[3]. Construction began in 1968[4] and the motorway opened in stages between 1971 and 1981[5]:
- Junctions 1 to 3 opened in 1975.
- Junctions 3 to 7 opened in 1972.
- Junctions 7 to 9 opened in 1974.
- Junctions 9 to 11 opened in 1975.
- Junctions 11 to 14 opened in 1971.
- Junctions 14 to 16 opened in 1981.
Proposals did exist for an extension into North Wales across the proposed Dee Barrage [6], but these have not happened[7].
[edit] Junctions
| M56 Motorway | ||
| Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |
| Stockport M60 Leeds M62 |
M60 J4 | Start of motorway (Sharston Spur) |
| Didsbury A34 | J1 | No exit |
| No exit | J2 | Wythenshawe, Altrincham, A560 (M60) |
| Altrincham, Wythenshawe & Wythenshawe Hospital, Cheadle A560 | J3a | Start of motorway (Princess Parkway spur) |
| Altrincham, Congleton, Wythenshawe A5103 Manchester Ring Road (M60) |
J3 | No exit |
| No exit | J4 | Wythenshawe |
| Manchester Airport | J5 | Manchester Airport |
| Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield A538 | J6 | Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield A538 |
| Altrincham A56 | J7 | Birmingham (M6) Northwich A556 Lymm A56 |
| No exit | J8 | No exit |
| Preston, Birmingham, Leeds (M62) M6 | J9 | Preston, Liverpool (M62) M6 |
| Lymm A50 Poplar 2000 Services |
Warrington, Lymm A50 Poplar 2000 Services |
|
| Warrington, Northwich A49 | J10 | Northwich, Warrington A49 |
| Runcorn (E), Warrington A56 | J11 | Preston Brook, Daresbury A56 |
| Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich A557 | J12 | Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes A557 |
| Stanlow Refinery, Helsby A5117 Chester Services |
J14 | Stanlow Refinery, Helsby A5117 Chester Services |
| No exit | J15 | Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead Chester, Wrexham M53 |
| Start of Motorway | J16 | North Wales, Queensferry A5117 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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