Holidaymakers and workers traveling to Manchester Airport have been warned of extensive resurfacing along sections of the M56.
All work to resurface one of the busiest sections of the M56 – around Manchester Airport – will take place overnight, with the project due to start next month.
National Highways gave no exact timetable for the work, but bosses said they “aim to be well before the start of the school summer holiday period”.
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Drivers heading to the airport have been warned they may need to “allow a little extra time to get to work or check-in for flights” due to the road closures.
The work includes worn sections of both eastbound and westbound carriageway between junction 5 at the airport and junction 6 at Hale Barns. Work begins on Monday, June 10.
Some slip roads at junctions five and six, as well as junction four for Wythenshawe, will also be resurfaced, National Highways said.
A statement today said: “All work – including replacement of some bridge links and road surface traffic detection loops – will be carried out overnight with occasional road or exit closures. Working hours will be between 9pm and 5am – or 7: 00 on a Saturday when the freeway is quietest.”
National Highways project manager, Rob Williams, said: “This is important, albeit routine, wear and tear work. Our aim is to be far enough in advance of the start of the school summer holiday period. We are working closely with airports to ensure they are aware with our timetable and few night closures, this will mean drivers will need to allow a little extra time to travel to work or check-in for flights.”
The resurfacing program involves a full closure of the eastbound carriageway between junction seven and junction five, on the way to the airport, for five nights from the evening of Monday 17 June to the morning of Saturday 22 June.
National Highways said drivers heading to and from the airport will be able to use an alternative motorway route northbound M6, eastbound M62, anti-clockwise M60 and westbound M56.
Further full closures of the eastbound carriageway, between junctions six and four, are planned for the nights of Tuesday and Wednesday June 11 and 12 and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday July 8, 9 and 10. The diversion will operate from junction six via the local road network including Runger Lane/Thorley Lane to the airport and on to junction 4 via the A555, Styal Road and Simonsway.
The Runger Lane/Thorley Lane airport diversion will also be in place when the M56 exit is closed between junction 6 and junction 5 on Thursday and Friday 13 and 14 June, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 24, 25 and 26 June and Thursday and Friday, July 4 and 5.
There will also be two exit closures affecting journeys to the airport:
- Eastbound exit at junction 5 on Friday 28 June, with drivers on the M56 eastbound having to exit at junction 3a instead – joining the westbound M56, traveling back to junction 5 and using the westbound slip road to the airport.
- The westbound exit at junction 5 on Wednesday 17 July, with drivers on the M56 westbound having to exit at junction 6 instead – joining the eastbound M56, traveling back to junction 5 and using the eastbound exit to get to the airport.