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The 'M56' is a motorway, also known as the ''North Cheshire motorway'', in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Mollington and is 35 miles (56 km) in length. The motorway is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales as well as providing access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.
The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22.

Contents

Route

History

Junctions

See also

References

External links

Route

Although the mainline of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 actually begins on the Sharston Spur. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the mainline at junction 3, going up from two lanes to four, to accommodate Manchester Airport traffic.
The road now heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west. It then runs to the south of Hale, going down to three lanes. It passes junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M)^[1]). The current proposals are to upgrade the A556 to a dual carrigeway^[2]. Traffic for the southbound M6 leaves here and this junction can suffer from congestion. The motorway then enters a more rural setting, continuing between Broomedge and High Legh.
After meeting the M6 motorway it passes south of Appleton Thorn. After reaching junction 11, it runs through the outskirts of Runcorn and Frodsham. Between junctions 12 and 14, and the missing junction 13, it runs parallel to the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. After meeting the M53 motorway, the road finally returns to two lanes, it proceeds between Chester to the south and Ellesmere Port to its termination at a roundabout at Mollington.
Traffic for North Wales can take either the M53 or A5117 to reach the A55.

History

The first proposal for a road along this route was agreed in 1958 and it entered the ''Trunk Road Programme'' for 1967/1968^[3]. Construction began in 1968^[4] and the motorway opened in stages between 1971 and 1981^[5]:

★ Junctions 1 to 3 opened in 1975.

★ Junctions 3 to 7 opened in 1972.

★ Junctions 7 to 9 opened in 1974.

★ Junctions 9 to 11 opened in 1975.

★ Junctions 11 to 14 opened in 1971.

★ Junctions 14 to 16 opened in 1981.
Proposals did exist for an extension into North Wales across the proposed Dee Barrage ^[6], but these have not happened^[7].

Junctions

'M56 Motorway'
Eastbound exits	Junction	Westbound exits
Stockport 'M60' Leeds 'M62'	M60 J4	''Start of motorway'' (Sharston Spur)
Didsbury 'A34'	J1	''No exit''
''No exit''	J2	Wythenshawe, Altrincham, 'A560' ('M60')
Altrincham, Wythenshawe & Wythenshawe Hospital, Cheadle 'A560'	J3a	''Start of motorway'' (Princess Parkway spur)
Altrincham, Congleton, Wythenshawe 'A5103' Manchester Ring Road ('M60')	J3	''No exit''
''No exit''	J4	Wythenshawe
Manchester Airport	J5	Manchester Airport
Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield 'A538'	J6	Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield 'A538'
Altrincham 'A56'	J7	Birmingham ('M6') Northwich 'A556' Lymm 'A56'
''No exit''	J8	''No exit''
Preston, Birmingham, Leeds ('M62') 'M6'	J9	Preston, Liverpool ('M62') 'M6'
Lymm 'A50' ''Poplar 2000 Services''		Warrington, Lymm 'A50' ''Poplar 2000 Services''
Warrington, Northwich 'A49'	J10	Northwich, Warrington 'A49'
Runcorn (E), Warrington 'A56'	J11	Preston Brook, Daresbury 'A56'
Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich 'A557'	J12	Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes 'A557'
Stanlow Refinery, Helsby 'A5117' ''Chester Services''	J14	Stanlow Refinery, Helsby 'A5117' ''Chester Services''
''No exit''	J15	Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead Chester, Wrexham 'M53'
''Start of Motorway''	J16	North Wales, Queensferry 'A5117'

See also

★ List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

1. Pathetic Motorways - A556(M)
2. Highways Agency Press Release
3. The Motorway Archive - M56 Scheme Introduction
4. The Motorway Archive - M56 Dates Page
5. CBRD Motorway Database - M56 Timeline
6. The Motorway Archive - M56 J16 to J14
7. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 23 July 1993 - Column 403

External links

★ CBRD Motorway Database - M56

★ The Motorway Archive - M56