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

  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    February 9, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports
  • Smart motorway project for UK’s M3
    July 23, 2014
    Balfour Beatty is to work on a €163.5 million (£129 million) upgrade project for a 21.4km stretch of the M3 motorway in the UK. The work involves upgrading the route to smart motorway status and is being carried out for the UK Government’s Highways Agency. This project will increase capacity, reduce congestion and shorten journey times for the 120,000 motorists/day using the route. This section of the motorway runs through the counties of Hampshire and Surrey, between Junction 2 which is interchange with th
  • Kier rebuilds storm-damaged road in England’s tourist Cumbria region
    May 10, 2016
    The first of 20 steel posts have been positioned for major road repairs to the A591 road in northern England under a £40 million project to repair December storm damage. The A591 is a major local authority road in Cumbria. It links the M6 motorway near Brettargh Holt with important Lake District tourist destinations such as Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick.
  • Consent for UK’s £1.36 billion Trans-Pennine road upgrade
    March 20, 2024
    Consent has been given for the UK’s £1.36 billion Trans-Pennine road upgrade.