Manchester airport roadworks: M56 closures to affect key airport travel route on these dates

Sections of the M56 will close over another weekend in September 2022, affecting travel to Manchester Airport.

Closures will take place over overnight from 9pm on Friday 9 September to 6am Monday 12 September, 2022, as part of an ongoing project to create a new ‘all lanes running’ Smart motorway between junctions 6 and 8 of the M56.

The M56 will be closed in both directions during the works. The westbound closure will be from junction 5 for Manchester Airport to junction 8 for Bowdon. Meanwhile, the eastbound closure will be between junction 9 for the M6 and junction 5 for Manchester Airport.

Motorists have been warned to leave plenty of time as diversion routes are likely to take between 30 and 45 minutes, TfGM has warned.

What are the diversions?

TfGM has issued the following advice and warned motorists not to follow sat nav but use the signed diversions.

Through traffic for M56 J5-J8 Westbound

For westbound traffic wishing to access the M6 or continue on the M56; motorists on the M60 will be advised to remain on the M60 until junction 12 where traffic joins M62 travelling westbound. At junction 10 of the M62 vehicles are directed onto the M6 southbound and to junction 20A to re-join the M56 at junction 9.

For vehicles travelling on the A5103 Princess Parkway; it is suggested that traffic diverts off at the A560 roundabout and turn around re-joining the A5103 northbound and exit onto the M60 at junction 5 entry slip road. Traffic continues on the M60 until junction 12 where traffic joins M62 travelling westbound. At junction 10 of the M62 vehicles are directed onto the M6 southbound and to junction 20A to re-join the M56 at junction 9.

Traffic wishing to access junction 8 of the M56 will be signed to continue onto M6 south to junction 19 and then join the A556 northbound to junction 8.

• The Journey time to M56 junction 9 is expected to be approximately 30 minutes, and 38 minutes to M56 junction 8.

Through traffic for M56 J9-J5 Eastbound

From junction 9 of the M56, traffic will exit onto M6 and continue north to 21A, traffic will merge onto M62 Eastbound and follow diversion signage on the motorway. Traffic will continue in this direction until M62 junction 12 where it will be signed on to the M60 in the anticlockwise direction.

Traffic is to stay on M60 anticlockwise until junction 5, where they are to merge on to the A5103 Princess Parkway and then back on to M56 at junction 3A.

• Journey time between junctions 9 and 5 of the M56 via the above diversion route is expected to be approximately 29 minutes.

Local diversion routes and map

Westbound

For traffic wishing to continue on the M56 or access the M6, motorists are advised to follow the ‘through traffic’ diversion route.

For traffic wishing to access local attractions in Altrincham, Hale and Timperley; from M56 junction 5, local traffic will be directed onto the M56 airport spur and signed to leave the carriageway at Terminal 2 roundabout.

Traffic will be signed left onto Enterprise Way and left onto Thorley Lane. At A538 Wilmslow Road roundabout traffic will be signed right and onto A538 Hale Road. At the junction with Delahays Road, traffic will be directed right onto A5144 Delahays Road and continue.

At the junction of A560, motorists will be signed left onto A560 Shaftsbury Avenue and continue to the junction of A56 Church Street / Old Market Place where traffic will be signed left and continue to M56 junction 8 where the diversion will end.

• The journey time on the local diversion route is expected to be approximately 45 minutes.

Eastbound

For traffic wishing to access the routes from the M60, or Manchester City Centre, motorists are advised to follow the ‘through traffic’ diversion route above.

For vehicles accessing Altrincham, and local services from M56 junction 9, vehicles are directed off M6 at junction 20 and onto A50 Cliff Lane, where traffic will be signed onto the A556 and continue northbound to junction 8 of the M56.

From M56 junction 8, local traffic will be directed northbound onto A56 Dunham Road continuing to Old Market Place and turning right onto A560 Stockport Road. Traffic continues on A560 before turning right onto the A5144 Thorley Lane.

Traffic will then turn left onto A538 Hale Road and continue to M56 Junction 6, where traffic will turn left onto Runger Lane and continue to the junction of Enterprise Way where traffic will be directed right with the diversion ending at Terminal 2 roundabout.

• The journey time on the local diversion route is expected to be approximately 45 minutes.

Update on the works: 20 September

In an update on 20 September, Highways England said they had completed the planned work scheduled for the weekend of 9-12 September successfully, but that they were planning ‘various overnight carriageway and lane closures over the coming weeks’ for further work, with details of the closures still to be confirmed at time of writing on 22 September. See the Highways M56 page for more details on the work.