Extra lane opens on each side of M56 in Greater Manchester
It's hoped the motorway upgrade will improve journey times for tens of thousands of drivers
An extra lane opened this morning on each carriageway of the M56 between Altrincham and Hale in Greater Manchester.
National Highways said the upgrade cost £85 million and will help improve journey times for tens of thousands of drivers who use the route daily.
Junction 6 for Hale Barns and junction 8 at Bowdon will run at a maximum of 60mph until work to calibrate technology, including stopped vehicle detection, has been completed.
The upgrade is expected to fully open with the 70mph maximum national speed limit restored by early spring.
Overnight work to resurface lanes along both carriageways will start shortly after.
The project started in March 2020 and, alongside adding an extra lane in both the eastbound and westbound carriageways, has involved providing extra technology and safety enhancements, including stopped vehicle detection. Stopped vehicle detection uses radar technology to alert National Highways’ control centre operators who can then close lanes with a Red X signal, display speed limits and deploy traffic officers.
Temporary additional CCTV from the roadworks and a free recovery service will remain in place alongside the new permanent systems during the technology commissioning period. Drivers will also be able to use any of the four new emergency areas if they need to stop in an emergency.