Chester motorists who are hoping to travel north next month may need to pre-plan their route due to road closures.
Parts of the current A556, junction 19 of the M6 and junctions 7 and 8 of the M56 will be inaccessible during several weekends from mid-February.
The closures are to allow for the final phase of work on the new link road between the M6 at Knutsford and the M56 at Bowdon.
On Tuesday (January 24) Highways England announced that the new £192 million A556 dual carriageway is on track to open in March.
Project manager Paul Hampson said: “As well as starting work next month to connect the new dual carriageway to the M6 and M56 link roads, we’ll be using the weekend closures to do some preparation along the existing A556 which will become a B road with much-improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We’re working hard with partners and stakeholders like the emergency services and Manchester Airport to plan for these weekend closures and to make sure they’ll be well-publicised once the full details are confirmed.”
Drivers are being advised the schedule for the final phase of work is dependent on the weather.
The schedule currently involves:
- A full weekend closure of the existing A556 and associated M6 and M56 junctions between 9pm on Friday, February 17, and 5am on Monday, February 20.
- A full weekend closure of the existing A556 and associated M6 and M56 junctions from 9pm on Friday, March 3, to 5am on Monday, March 6.
- A final full weekend closure of the old A556 and new A556 between 9pm on Friday, March 10, and 5am on Monday, March 13, to finalise work to seal off the old road.
Highways England is working with partners and stakeholders such as Manchester Airport, major football clubs and the police to plan for and publicise the road works.
Construction of the new A556 link road started in November 2014 and is part of a £15 billion government investment in motorways and major A roads by 2021.
This is being delivered by Highways England as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
