Mancunian Way to be closed in Manchester city centre this weekend for safety inspections- diversions announced

One of Manchester city centre’s busiest roads will be closed this weekend for maintenance work. Manuncian Way will be closed from early on Saturday September 9 and won’t re-open until late on Sunday September 10. The closure means that if you are planning on visiting the city, you may need to make alternative travel arrangements.

The exact times of the closure have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester as 5am on Saturday to 7pm on Sunday. As a result, traffic will be diverted via Chester Road, Bridgewater Viaduct, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, Fairfield Street and vice versa. 

TfGM added that this coming weekend was chosen specifically to minimise the amount of disruption the road closure would cause. They have taken into consideration the fact that schools will be back open for children and there are no major events in the city. 

Using data collected from previous closures, TfGM have said that the quietest time to travel will be before midday, while the busiest time is likely to be between 4pm and 7pm on Saturday and 3pm and 6pm on Sunday.

Chester Road, Regent Road, Whitworth Street, Fairfield Street and the Inner Ring Road approaching the Mancunian Way are likely to be the most impacted roads. The M60 motorway will be the best option to get across the city. However if drivers are already in the city centre and looking to make a journey, they are advised to use the northern part of the Inner Ring Road (Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street) to avoid congestion on the Whitworth Street diversion route.

People travelling into this city centre have also been advised by TfGM to use the Metrolink where possible. These services will not be affected by the road closure. 

Peter Boulton, Head of Highways at TfGM, has urged anyone making a journey by road to plan ahead and allow additional time for travel.

He said: “Whatever your journey, make sure to familiarise yourself with the closure information. Due to the diversions through the city centre, we expect to see increased congestion which may also impact bus services, particularly those that run close to, or parallel to the Mancunian Way.