M56 junction 6 to 8 smart motorway

We will build an all-lane running motorway on the M56 between junctions 6 and 8. This will provide increased capacity in a cost-effective way, maximising the use of the existing road

Start date Spring 2020

End date June 2023

Cost TBC

Latest updates

11 July 2024

Essential resurfacing work - spring to summer 2024

We are resurfacing the M56 between junction 5 and 6 in both directions close to Manchester Airport.

We are also resurfacing slip roads, replacing road markings and bridge joints.

We expect to complete workby the end of August 2024

We will be working Monday to Friday between 9pm and 5am, extended to 7am on Saturdays.

To work safely, we'll need to close the motorway and slip roads at various locations. Please remember that closure details can change at short notice. For the most up-to-date information on dates, times and locations, check our daily closures page.

Diversion routes will be clearly signposted. Please don't follow your satnav during any closure and check your journey before you travel.

If you have any queries about this work, please contact us by email: info@nationalhighways.co.uk or call 0300 123 5000.
27 June 2023
Upgrade completed - speed limit moves to 70mph

On Tuesday 27 June we lifted the final restriction on a major M56 upgrade between junction 6, just south of Manchester Airport, and junction 8 at the A556 junction.

This means you can now drive up to the 70mph national speed limit along this route. If you’ve been using the road recently, you’ll know that a new fourth lane was opened earlier this year.

Drivers were kept at a lower maximum speed limit of 60mph for their safety while we fine-tuned the technology, which detects stopped vehicles.

The upgrade means drivers using this busy stretch of motorway, that carries around 142,000 vehicles each day, will benefit from added capacity and smoother journeys.

Motorists who get into difficulty during their journeys will be able to access any of four new emergency areas that have been created as part of the upgrade, two are located on each carriageway.

Drivers will have a place to stop in an emergency every 1.07 miles on average. Someone travelling at 70mph will reach a place to stop in an emergency every 66 seconds.

Emergency areas must only be used in an emergency. They provide a safer place to stop than a hard shoulder, are set back from the carriageway and are also wider than a hard shoulder.

They are designed to a standard 100 metres in length, with a 30-metre central stopping area. Drivers must use the emergency telephone provided and follow the operator’s advice for exiting the emergency area.

We’d like to say thank you to everyone for their co-operation and understanding while this work was carried out.

On motorways where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted to a traffic lane, there’s a whole system of inter-related features, working together to help keep traffic moving safely. They include:
- variable speed limits to help keep traffic moving, reducing frustrating stop-start traffic and making journeys quicker
- clearly signed and orange-coloured emergency areas set back from the road and with telephones linking directly to our control rooms
- detection systems to monitor traffic for changes in flows and speeds
- CCTV cameras that our operators are able to move and zoom to monitor and manage congestion and incidents, where notified. The system has the ability to see 100% of the carriageway
- signs and signals to provide better information that can alert drivers to hazards ahead and display Red X signals to close lanes to other traffic when a stopped vehicle is identified
- enforcement cameras to deter the minority who break speed limits and ignore Red X signals
On all operational all lane running motorways radar stopped vehicle detection technology is also in place. It was introduced as an enhancement to the system of features to help further reduce the risks associated with live lane stops and enable us to respond more quickly.

In addition, on this stretch of motorway there is low-noise road surfacing on lanes one and four on both sides of the carriageway and the steel barrier in the central reservation has been replaced with a new, stronger, concrete barrier.

Find out more information about safe driving on motorways.

See more updates

Project information

This four-mile stretch of road, which is linked to several arterial trunk roads, is a vital part of the network for commuters and heavy goods vehicles travelling into Manchester city centre.

This section of the M56 carries in excess of 100,000 vehicles per day. Congestion and unreliable journey times are currently experienced at busy periods and traffic is predicted to grow in the future.

This scheme is part of our programme to add capacity to the existing strategic road network in order to support economic growth and maintain mobility.

The existing M56 is a rural dual three-lane motorway with a hard shoulder, with the exception of sections on both carriageways near junction 7 where the hard shoulder has been converted into additional running lanes. As part of this scheme, we will convert the hard shoulder into a running lane on the full stretch between junctions 6 and 7 and through junction 6 westbound.

The scheme involves:

converting the hard shoulder to create a new additional permanent traffic lane between junctions 6 and 8
new electronic information signs and signals and CCTV cameras on overhead gantries will show variable mandatory speed limits and manage traffic flow and incidents. We'll build seven new gantries and retain 11 existing ones
installing remotely operated temporary traffic management signs along the entire route, which form a key safety feature of the work
four new emergency areas to provide an area of relative safety following a breakdown
new emergency roadside telephones in each emergency area. These will connect you directly to our Regional Operations Centres and pinpoint your location
replacing the central reservation with a new concrete barrier to help increase safety
new low-noise surfacing on lanes 1 and 4 on both sides of the carriageway

It is expected that this smart motorway scheme will:

increase motorway capacity and reduce congestion on this key route into Manchester
smooth traffic flows by using variable speed limits
provide more reliable journey times to Manchester Airport
increase and improve the quality of information for the driver, for example, through variable messaging signs (in relation to the operation of the motorway)

The improvements will provide greater connectivity to other parts of the network through added lane capacity, supporting better freight transportation and contributing to local economic growth and planned development, such as Airport City.

Low-noise surfacing on lanes 1 and 4 in both directions will reduce noise for residents and road users. We'll provide some additional screening from the motorway by planting new native trees/vegetation along the route.

M56 junctions 6 to 8 smart motorway - statutory instrument consultation 2 September to 30 September 2019