Skip to main content

New UK dual carriageway opening

Drivers in the UK are to benefit from the opening of a new dual carriageway connection. The section of road is a key route for Highways England, improving the connection between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 motorways. The new A556 Knutsford to Bowdon link road will cut congestion and journey times for drivers in the area. As part of the £192 million project to build the new dual carriageway between, Highways England has remodelled slip roads at Yarwood Heath and Bowdon roundabouts. The
December 20, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Drivers in the UK are to benefit from the opening of a new dual carriageway connection. The section of road is a key route for 8100 Highways England, improving the connection between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 motorways. The new A556 Knutsford to Bowdon link road will cut congestion and journey times for drivers in the area. As part of the £192 million project to build the new dual carriageway between, Highways England has remodelled slip roads at Yarwood Heath and Bowdon roundabouts.

The new dual carriageway is part of a £15 billion investment by the UK Government in motorways and major A roads by 2021, which is being delivered by Highways England as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Overnight working will mean that by Monday 26th December 2016, drivers leaving the northbound A556 will have direct access onto the eastbound M56 and motorists leaving the westbound M56 will get direct access onto the southbound A556. This will benefit drivers who had to previously negotiate traffic lights and or Bowdon roundabout. The roundabout will now solely be used by drivers joining or leaving the local road network.

This weekend’s work will also mark the re-opening of the M56 eastbound exit slip road at junction 7 after a 5-month closure - with drivers sent onto the new Bowdon roundabout for access to the southbound A556 or local road network, including the A56 local roads for Bowdon and Altrincham. All the new arrangements will be tied-in to the new A556 dual carriageway ahead of its opening in the spring.

The remodelling of slip road arrangements between the existing A556 and junction 7 of the M56 has involved pairing the existing Bowdon roundabout with a new, smaller roundabout which opened in September. The 2 roundabouts are linked by a new bridge – with the new link roads between the A556 and M56 travelling under this.

Construction of the new A556 link road, between the M56 and the M6, started in November 2014 and is due for completion in spring next year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK testing electric car charging system
    August 11, 2015
    The UK is working on plans to develop contactless charging systems for electric vehicles. Trials of the technology will be carried out on test routes away from the public highway to test the systems. The technology will be able to recharge electric and hybrid vehicles. The aim of the project is to develop sound technologies that can then be installed on England’s major roads. These trials are the first of their kind and will investigate how the technology would work safely and effectively on the country’s m
  • UK report suggests 30km Pennine tunnel with robotic maintenance
    December 2, 2015
    The UK could build one of Europe’s longest road tunnels as it considers route options for a new major link connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield in England. An interim report looking at how best to connect the cities suggested that the road could be between 40km-50km, depending on the route. It “will include a tunnelled section, which could range from between 20-30km, making it one of the longest road tunnels ever built”.
  • Work begins on Stockholm’s new bypass
    August 22, 2016
    The first tunnels are being excavated for the huge bypass tunnel in Sweden’s capital Stockholm – Adrian Greeman writes. After years of preparation and design, blasting and rock moving for Sweden's largest infrastructure project began south of the city this year. It sets in train a decade-long project that will create a new half-ring dual three-lane motorway for the city, 20km long. With most of it deep underground, it will also be one of Europe's largest ever road tunnels. The scheme is aimed at transformin
  • Tenders open for England’s A66 northern trans-Pennine route
    October 31, 2019
    A €52 million contract to design the transformation of the A66 northern trans-Pennine route in England is now up for grabs, according to Highways England. A tender is open for dualling the remaining single carriageway sections of the A66 which links the M6 motorway at Penrith in Cumbria and the A1(M) motorway) at Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire. The formal notice for the A66 Preliminary Designer, Construction Technical Advisor and Supervision tender process has been published in the Official Journal of