A revamped A556 has opened up to drivers and the 'heavily congested' old one was meant to be a thing of the past.
But a traffic light failure caused major problems on the new route on Tuesday morning (March 7).
The M6 to M56 link road has been made into a dual carriageway to help cut journey times.
Commuters vented their frustration at heavy queues on the A556 after a lights sequencing issue at the M6 junction 19.
North West Motorway Police tweeted: "Congestion at j19, m6 southbound at present. Possibly due to traffic lights on roundabout out of sync. Patrol attending to assess."
Motorists had been given a first chance to test the new route on Monday, which had gone off without a hitch.
Drivers heading from Northwich and Winsford to Manchester should benefit most from the new road.
The A556 will be closed for one final time this weekend before fully opening on March 13.
Highways England project manager Paul Hampson said: “The old A556 was heavily congested, journeys were unreliable and there were two junctions at Bucklow and Mere.
“There was conflict between local traffic and motorway traffic, which had to use a local road also used by farmers wanting to take cows across fields.
“This will improve journey times and help the local economy as part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda.”
Meanwhile, work will continue on the old A556, to be renamed the B5569.
The entire project, which began in November 2014, is scheduled to finish early in the autumn.
Final closure
For the last touches to be made, the A556 will shut from 9pm on Friday to 5am on Monday (March 10-13).
Only the northbound exit slip at junction 19 of the M6 will remain partially open – allowing drivers to access the southbound, local authority section, of the A556 towards Northwich.
Drivers are advised to build in extra time for the diversions and to check traffic conditions before setting out on journeys.
Motorway users will be diverted to alternative junctions to leave or join the M6 or M56:
- Drivers on the northbound M6 heading for Manchester and Manchester Airport will need to stay on the M6, join the westbound M56 at Lymm Interchange (M6 junction 20) and then join the eastbound M56 at junction 10 (Preston Brook)
- Drivers on the westbound M56 heading away from Manchester and wanting to join the southbound M6 will also need to travel to junction 10 at Preston Brook – joining the eastbound M56 from there to travel back to Lymm Interchange and access the southbound M6.
- Local diversions will be in place with access to the A50, Chapel Lane and Mereside Road.
- A one way system, travelling southbound, will be in place at Bucklow Hill to allow access for residents and businesses located between the Bucklow Hill and Mere junctions along Chester Road. Vehicles must use Mereside Road and Chapel Lane to access Chester Road. Traffic marshalls will be at Mere and Bucklow Hill junctions to facilitate the local diversion.
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