Westbound M56 closures this weekend

Drivers are being reminded that the westbound M56 between Hale and Altrincham will be closed at times this weekend as National Highways works to finish its £85 million upgrade.

National Highways is upgrading the motorway between junction 6 at Hale and junction 8 at Bowdon, adding an extra lane in each carriageway and extensive extra technology to help smooth drivers’ journeys through a section of the network carrying up to 100,000 vehicles a day.

The westbound carriageway will be closed from junction 5 to junction 7 for two periods this weekend with a break to accommodate football traffic heading to and away from Old Trafford with Manchester United facing Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday (4 September, kick off 4.30pm)

The westbound carriageway will be closed from 9pm on Friday (2 September) to 6am on Sunday (4 September) and again from 9pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday (5 September). 

Access to the airport at junction 5 will be open at all times but a good motorway diversion away from the westbound M56 will be in place for other drivers heading beyond the airport to the M6 and North Wales.

The westbound carriageway closure this weekend is taking place ahead of a full eastbound carriageway and westbound carriageway closure of the M56 the following weekend – Friday 9 September to Monday 12 September.

Drivers are advised to check traffic conditions before setting out on journeys. Live traffic information is always available at www.trafficengland.com or from National Highways’ 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000. Updates will also be posted to @HighwaysNWest – National Highways’ regional Twitter feed.

Full details of the two weekends of closures, the work taking place and diversion rotes are available here. More information about the M56 motorway upgrade is available here:

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