A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Improvement

In November 2014 work began on a £200m project to improve the A556 between the M56 and M6. The project involves constructing a new 7.5km 4 lane dual carriageway between the two motorways in order to relieve congestion on this stretch of the road.

The A556 is a major trunk road which serves north Cheshire and south Manchester. The section of road also provides a connection between the M6 at junction 19 and M56 at junction 7.

The A556 between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 currently carries 51,000 vehicles per day, 11% of which are HQVs. The road is currently a mixture of single 4-lane carriageway, with sections of dual 2-lane carriageway, along which are several junctions and a number of properties.

As a result of this the road is often severely congested, particularly at peak times. And according to the Highways Agency there were 98 incidents along this stretch, including 1 fatality and 13 serious injuries in the period January 2007 to December 2011.

The project will also involve reconfiguring the junction at Bowdon in order to create a grade separated overpass. The new junction will improve the link between the M56 junction 7, A556 and the turn off for Altrincham.

The original A556 route will be "de-trunked" reducing it to a single carriageway after the new section of road is complete. The existing southbound carriageway will become two lanes and the northbound carriageway will be used to provide a pathway for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.

Facts and figures

• 51,000 vehicles per day currently use the A556
• Cost of the project is estimated at £165m to £221m 
• A new 7.5km grade separated dual carriageway will be constructed
• 130,000 tonnes of tarmac will be layed
• 300 people employed on site
• 5 new overpasses will be constructed 
• The project will take approximately 2 years to complete 
• The main contractor for the project is Costain

For more information visit the Highways Agency website 

Map of the new A566 by-pass (click to enlarge)

The images below were taken from the site at Bowdon, where work has begun to build a new junction.

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