Highways Agency

A556 (M6 J19 - M56 J7)

Route description

The route being considered is the A556 trunk road between Junction 19 of the M6 (Tabley/ Knutsford) and Junction 7 of the M56 (Bowdon) to the southwest of Manchester. The route predominantly lies within the boundaries of Cheshire County Council and Macclesfield Borough Council.

The A556 forms part of the main highway link between Greater Manchester and the south of the country. Due to high traffic volume and high proportion of heavy goods vehicles, the route suffers from congestion problems and has a poor accident history. This has been partly addressed through recent improvements including the introduction of a 50 mph speed limit and two speed cameras.

Along the A556 route, numerous frontages of Mere, entrances to fields and minor roads leading to small communities have direct access onto the trunk road. Apart from the motorway junctions at the route's extremities, there are two other significant junctions that connect the local roads to the A556. Both are traffic signal controlled with restrictive turning movements. The Bucklow Hill junction links with the A5034, and the Mere crossroads connects the A50 between Knutsford and Warrington.

To the north end of the route are the communities of Greater Manchester e.g. Bowdon, Hale, and Altrincham. The Manchester Airport is situated one junction east of the RMS route, off Junction 6 of the M56.

At the Southern end of the route, close by the town of Knutsford, there is Tatton Park (a National Trust property) which annually hosts over 70 major and minor events including the Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show. The major events cause additional problems on the A556. Rostherne Mere is situated on the eastside of the trunk road and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Knutsford Motorway Services is situated one junction south, very close to J19 of the M6.

Recent History

The following is a short summary of events, leading up to the start of the A556 RMS study:

• Late 1980's DoT considered proposals for a Greater Manchester Western and Northern Relief Route
• The scheme was subsequently reduced in scale to an improvement of the A556 between Junction 19 M6 and Junction 7/8 M56, which entered the Roads Programme in 1988.
• The scheme was developed as an off-line motorway scheme and taken to Public Inquiry into the Line and Side Road Orders in the Autumn 1993.
• At the Inquiry, a Junction 20 scheme was presented as an Objector's Alternative. This was rebutted by DoT and rejected by the Inspector. This rejection was endorsed by Secretary Of State.
• Line and Side Road Orders for A556(M) scheme was made in June 1996.
• Before the scheme could be progressed to a Compulsory Purchase Order Inquiry, it was subject to further Government review, with the result that in the 1998 Roads Review it was remitted to the West Midlands to North West Conurbation (MIDMAN) multi-modal study.
• The MIDMAN final report was published in March 2002. MIDMAN looked at three options for connecting the M6 to the M56. These were:
  • An 'all directions improvement of M6 Junction 20
  • The A556 (M) off-line scheme
  • On-line improvements to the existing A556
• The MIDMAN consultants recommended the Junction 20 option; the steering group recognised that a more detailed assessment of the traffic implications of the alternatives was needed before a final view could be taken.
• The Highways Agency set up a steering group of stakeholders to direct this further work into examining the two viable roads based options. This work found that on balance the A556 (M) better met the objectives of MIDMAN, but that this scheme would propose a new motorway standard link, between M6 Junction 19 and M56 Junction 7, in open countryside.
• The North West Regional Assembly in favour of an improvement to M6 Junction 20 opposed the A556 (M) proposal.
• In his announcement on 1st April 2003, the Secretary of State for Transport rejected improvements to M6 junction 20 as the option did not represent good value for money. Further, he was not convinced that the proposal for a new motorway in open countryside between M6 Junction 19 and the M56 is acceptable and decided not to take forward the A556 (M) proposal, at this time.
• The HA have been asked to identify new opportunities to improve the safety, reliability, and environment of the existing A556 corridor. Work will initially focus on how the operation of the key junctions could be improved. Innovative solutions to address issues along this corridor will be examined, Local stakeholders will be consulted, and a programme of measures for medium term delivery will be produced.
• The HA commissioned Hyder Consulting Limited to carryout the A556 RMS on their behalf in June 2003.

For a visual location of the RMS please refer to the map

Problems Identified

Environment

• Pollution of air, noise, and water quality from heavy volumes of traffic.

Safety

• Speeding drivers.
• Narrow carriageway widths.
• Problems turning right into numerous side-roads, private frontages, and field accesses along route.
• Cattle herding along and across the main carriageway.

Congestion

• Increasing congestion causing drivers to seek alternative routes in the surrounding unclassified minor roads.
• Problems in dealing with incidents e.g. broken down vehicles.

Integration

• There are infrequent bus services along the A556.
• There are inadequate alternative modes of transport available on the route e.g. rail services, and Park and Ride infrastructure.

Accessibility

• Need to improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

RMS Action Plan

The 15-year period of the RMS will consider options for short, medium and long-term improvements to the route. They are as follows:

Short Term (0-3 Years)

• Investigate capacity/safety upgrade of traffic signals at M6 Junction 19, Mere Junction, Bucklow Hill Junction, and at Bowdon Roundabout.
• Bucklow Hill G-turn and crossing facilities.
• Signing review and rationalisation on the A556.
• Monitor ban of right turns at Rostherne Lane.
• Safety improvements at the "Nags Head".
• Investigate the need for improved footways and cycleways along the whole road.
• Possible right turn ban at Moss Lane Junction*.
• Possible right turn ban at Mere Golf Club*.

* These options would only be considered after the construction of the planned G-Turn at Bucklow Hill.

Medium to Long Term Options (4-15 Years)

• A free-flow link at M6 Junction 19 to connect with the A556.
• Conversion of the majority of the route to an on-line dual carriageway.
• A short off-line section bypassing communities at Mere.
• A new grade separated junction on the Mere bypass at the A50 Warrington Road.
• Construction of a local access road along the numerous frontages to properties from Bucklow Hill to Mere junctions, using redundant sections of carriageway.
• An upgraded junction at Millington Lane/Rostherne Lane, allowing full access to the local road network.
• A free-flow link at M56 Junction 7/8 to connect with the A556.

Alternative Transport Options

A number of alternative transport issues were raised as part of the strategy development. These cannot be delivered by the Highways Agency alone, and the period for delivery may extend beyond the timescale being considered for the Route Management Strategy.

The options suggested for taking forward included:

• express inter-urban bus services providing routes between major towns and cities;
• bus priority provisions;
• car parks for car/van pooling/bus services;
• review of bus services and stopping facilities on the A556;
• extend Metrolink to M6, or into Knutsford area with possible park and ride sites;
• rail park and ride; and
• combined light and heavy rail lines (possibly with light rail vehicles running on heavy rail tracks).

General Route Functions

The definition of Route Functions is that which describes the purpose the route serves currently and those it is intended to serve in the future.

The following are the general functions for the Trunk Road Network, and are a summary of the aims, vision, and objectives of the Highways Agency:

• To provide an efficient Network.
• To provide reliable journey times.
• To provide safe transportation of people and goods.
• To be environmentally acceptable.
• To be part of an integrated transport system.
• To support sustainable development.

Route Specific Functions

Route specific functions for the A556 have been derived from initial consultation with stakeholders. They are:

• Provides a route between the M6 and M56 for the following types of vehicles, journeys, and users:
  • Road freight.
  • Local traffic.
  • Commuters.
  • Leisure travellers.
• Provides access to the trunk road network for traffic to and from A50 and A5034.
• Provides access to existing properties adjacent to the route.
• Caters for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians.
• Provides access to public transport.
• Provides for strategic traffic to and from Manchester.
• Affords access to facilities e.g. Little Chef, Mere Golf and Country Club, and Swan Hotel.
• Provides access from neighbouring communities including Knutsford, Vale Royal, and Trafford.

Route Objectives

Route objectives have been derived for each of the Government's five investment criteria for transport as follows:

Environment

• To minimise the impact of the trunk road network on both the natural and built environment.

Safety

• To improve safety for all road users and contribute to the Government's current safety strategy and targets.

Economy

• To take action to reduce congestion and increase the reliability of journey times. And to give priority to the maintenance of trunk roads and bridges with the broad objective of minimising whole life costs.

Accessibility

• To implement traffic management, network control and other measures aimed at making best use of the existing infrastructure and facilitating integration with other transport modes, and to improve facilities for non-motorised users.

Integration

• To work with others to ensure passengers and freight operators can switch efficiently and smoothly between different modes of transport, and to broaden the choices available.