{{UK motorway routebox|
| motorway= M56
| length-mi= 35
| length-km= 56
| direction= East - West
| start= Cheadle
| destinations= Manchester_International_Airport
Wythenshawe
Warrington
Runcorn
Ellesmere_Port
Chester | end= Mollington | opening-date= 1971 | completion-date= 1981 | junctions= 1 - 50px
M60_motorway
9 - 50px
M6_motorway
15 - 50px
M53_motorway | euroroute= {{European route number small sign|22}} }} Image:045604_f5eb4f54.jpg]] The '''M56''' is a Motorway, also known as the ''North Cheshire motorway'', in Cheshire and Greater_Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Mollington and is 35 miles (56 Km) in length. The motorway is often busy with long-distance Commuter traffic towards North_Wales as well as providing access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22. ==Route== Although the mainline of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 actually begins on the Sharston Spur. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the mainline at junction 3, going up from two lanes to four, to accommodate Manchester Airport traffic. The road now heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west. It then runs to the south of Hale, going down to three lanes. It passes junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M)Pathetic Motorways - A556(M)). The current proposals are to upgrade the A556 to a dual carrigewayHighways Agency Press Release. Traffic for the southbound M6 leaves here and this junction can suffer from congestion. The motorway then enters a more Rural setting, continuing between Broomedge and High_Leigh. After meeting the M6_motorway it passes south of Appleton_Thorn. After reaching junction 11, it runs through the outskirts of Runcorn and Frodsham. Between junctions 12 and 14, and the missing junction 13, it runs parallel to the River_Mersey and Manchester_Ship_Canal. After meeting the M53_motorway, the road finally returns to two lanes, it proceeds between Chester to the south and Ellesmere_Port to its termination at a Roundabout at Mollington. Traffic for North Wales can take either the M53 or A5117 to reach the A55. ==History== The first proposal for a road along this route was agreed in 1958 and it entered the ''Trunk_Road Programme'' for 1967/1968The Motorway Archive - M56 Scheme Introduction. Construction began in 1968The Motorway Archive - M56 Dates Page and the motorway opened in stages between 1971 and 1981CBRD Motorway Database - M56 Timeline: *Junctions 1 to 3 opened in 1975. *Junctions 3 to 7 opened in 1972. *Junctions 7 to 9 opened in 1974. *Junctions 9 to 11 opened in 1975. *Junctions 11 to 14 opened in 1971. *Junctions 14 to 16 opened in 1981. Proposals did exist for an extension into North Wales across the proposed Dee Barrage The Motorway Archive - M56 J16 to J14, but these have not happenedHouse of Commons Hansard Debates for 23 July 1993 - Column 403. ==Junctions== {| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: black; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" bgcolor="0080d0" style="color: white;font-size:120%;" | colspan="3" | '''M56 Motorway''' |- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white" | Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |- align='center' | Stockport '''M60'''
Leeds '''M62''' | M60 J4 | ''Start of motorway'' (Sharston Spur) |- align='center' | Didsbury '''A34''' | J1 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J2 | Wythenshawe, Altrincham, '''A560''' ('''M60''') |- align='center' | Altrincham, Wythenshawe & Wythenshawe Hospital, Cheadle '''A560''' | J3a | ''Start of motorway'' (Princess Parkway spur) |- align='center' | Altrincham, Congleton, Wythenshawe '''A5103'''
Manchester Ring Road ('''M60''') | J3 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J4 | Wythenshawe |- align='center' | Manchester Airport | J5 | Manchester Airport |- align='center' | Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield '''A538''' | J6 | Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield '''A538''' |- align='center' | Altrincham '''A56''' | J7 | Birmingham ('''M6''')
Northwich '''A556'''
Lymm '''A56''' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J8 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | Preston, Birmingham, Leeds ('''M62''') '''M6''' | rowspan="2" | J9 | Preston, Liverpool ('''M62''') '''M6''' |- align='center' | Lymm '''A50'''
''Poplar_2000_Services'' | Warrington, Lymm '''A50'''
''Poplar 2000 Services'' |- align='center' | Warrington, Northwich '''A49''' | J10 | Northwich, Warrington '''A49''' |- align='center' | Runcorn (E), Warrington '''A56''' | J11 | Preston_Brook, Daresbury '''A56''' |- align='center' | Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich '''A557''' | J12 | Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes '''A557''' |- align='center' | Stanlow_Refinery, Helsby '''A5117'''
''Chester_Services'' | J14 | Stanlow Refinery, Helsby '''A5117'''
''Chester Services'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J15 | Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead
Chester, Wrexham '''M53''' |- align='center' | ''Start of Motorway'' | J16 | North Wales, Queensferry '''A5117''' |} ==See also== *List_of_motorways_in_the_United_Kingdom ==References==
==External links==
* CBRD Motorway Database - M56
*The Motorway Archive - M56
{{Template:UK motorways}}
5-0056
5-0056
5-0056
Sv:M56_(motorväg,_Storbritannien)
Wythenshawe
Warrington
Runcorn
Ellesmere_Port
Chester | end= Mollington | opening-date= 1971 | completion-date= 1981 | junctions= 1 - 50px
M60_motorway
9 - 50px
M6_motorway
15 - 50px
M53_motorway | euroroute= {{European route number small sign|22}} }} Image:045604_f5eb4f54.jpg]] The '''M56''' is a Motorway, also known as the ''North Cheshire motorway'', in Cheshire and Greater_Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Mollington and is 35 miles (56 Km) in length. The motorway is often busy with long-distance Commuter traffic towards North_Wales as well as providing access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22. ==Route== Although the mainline of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 actually begins on the Sharston Spur. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the mainline at junction 3, going up from two lanes to four, to accommodate Manchester Airport traffic. The road now heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west. It then runs to the south of Hale, going down to three lanes. It passes junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M)Pathetic Motorways - A556(M)). The current proposals are to upgrade the A556 to a dual carrigewayHighways Agency Press Release. Traffic for the southbound M6 leaves here and this junction can suffer from congestion. The motorway then enters a more Rural setting, continuing between Broomedge and High_Leigh. After meeting the M6_motorway it passes south of Appleton_Thorn. After reaching junction 11, it runs through the outskirts of Runcorn and Frodsham. Between junctions 12 and 14, and the missing junction 13, it runs parallel to the River_Mersey and Manchester_Ship_Canal. After meeting the M53_motorway, the road finally returns to two lanes, it proceeds between Chester to the south and Ellesmere_Port to its termination at a Roundabout at Mollington. Traffic for North Wales can take either the M53 or A5117 to reach the A55. ==History== The first proposal for a road along this route was agreed in 1958 and it entered the ''Trunk_Road Programme'' for 1967/1968The Motorway Archive - M56 Scheme Introduction. Construction began in 1968The Motorway Archive - M56 Dates Page and the motorway opened in stages between 1971 and 1981CBRD Motorway Database - M56 Timeline: *Junctions 1 to 3 opened in 1975. *Junctions 3 to 7 opened in 1972. *Junctions 7 to 9 opened in 1974. *Junctions 9 to 11 opened in 1975. *Junctions 11 to 14 opened in 1971. *Junctions 14 to 16 opened in 1981. Proposals did exist for an extension into North Wales across the proposed Dee Barrage The Motorway Archive - M56 J16 to J14, but these have not happenedHouse of Commons Hansard Debates for 23 July 1993 - Column 403. ==Junctions== {| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: black; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" bgcolor="0080d0" style="color: white;font-size:120%;" | colspan="3" | '''M56 Motorway''' |- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white" | Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |- align='center' | Stockport '''M60'''
Leeds '''M62''' | M60 J4 | ''Start of motorway'' (Sharston Spur) |- align='center' | Didsbury '''A34''' | J1 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J2 | Wythenshawe, Altrincham, '''A560''' ('''M60''') |- align='center' | Altrincham, Wythenshawe & Wythenshawe Hospital, Cheadle '''A560''' | J3a | ''Start of motorway'' (Princess Parkway spur) |- align='center' | Altrincham, Congleton, Wythenshawe '''A5103'''
Manchester Ring Road ('''M60''') | J3 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J4 | Wythenshawe |- align='center' | Manchester Airport | J5 | Manchester Airport |- align='center' | Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield '''A538''' | J6 | Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield '''A538''' |- align='center' | Altrincham '''A56''' | J7 | Birmingham ('''M6''')
Northwich '''A556'''
Lymm '''A56''' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J8 | ''No exit'' |- align='center' | Preston, Birmingham, Leeds ('''M62''') '''M6''' | rowspan="2" | J9 | Preston, Liverpool ('''M62''') '''M6''' |- align='center' | Lymm '''A50'''
''Poplar_2000_Services'' | Warrington, Lymm '''A50'''
''Poplar 2000 Services'' |- align='center' | Warrington, Northwich '''A49''' | J10 | Northwich, Warrington '''A49''' |- align='center' | Runcorn (E), Warrington '''A56''' | J11 | Preston_Brook, Daresbury '''A56''' |- align='center' | Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich '''A557''' | J12 | Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes '''A557''' |- align='center' | Stanlow_Refinery, Helsby '''A5117'''
''Chester_Services'' | J14 | Stanlow Refinery, Helsby '''A5117'''
''Chester Services'' |- align='center' | ''No exit'' | J15 | Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead
Chester, Wrexham '''M53''' |- align='center' | ''Start of Motorway'' | J16 | North Wales, Queensferry '''A5117''' |} ==See also== *List_of_motorways_in_the_United_Kingdom ==References==