Open day to mark a year since A556 construction start
Highways England is staging a public open day to mark the first anniversary of the start to construction of the new A556 bypass.
The latest aerial photographs from the project team show the new £192 million new dual carriageway really starting to take shape alongside the existing route.
Work on the new road, linking the M6 and M56 in Cheshire, started in November last year. And Highways England and Costain – the lead contractors for the project – will throw open the doors of the main site office near Lymm for a public exhibition and open day on Saturday (7 November).
Roads Minister Andrew Jones said:
This government is investing £13 billion in transport to help build a Northern Powerhouse and close the economic gap between north and south.
The work on the A556 is one of the many schemes across the north already underway which will improve our roads, reverse decades of underinvestment and secure long-term economic growth for all.
Highways England project manager Jonathan Stokes said:
We’re working really hard to keep local people and road users informed about progress with the project as well as different phases of traffic management.
Saturday’s open day will be a chance for anyone with an interest in the new road to come and have a look at how work is progressing and to talk to us face to face about any issues or concerns.
The open day is being staged between 10am and 2pm at the main construction site office along the A56 Lymm Road at Little Bollington, just off Bowdon roundabout. Visitors will have a chance to discuss the exciting plans for the existing A556 once it is made into a local road and take a look at some of the machinery and vehicles being used during construction of the new road.
The exhibition coincides with the project team’s second newsletter which celebrates a key milestone – the completion of its first structure with a new underpass at Old Hall Lane, Tabley. The underpass is designed to provide pedestrian, cyclists and horse rider access under the new road.
Meanwhile, 3 new aerial pictures of the scheme have been released. They show:
- excavations for new junction arrangements at junction 7 of the M56 at Bowdon roundabout
- outline of the new slip road and roundabout taking shape alongside Bowdon roundabout and existing slip road from the M56 onto the A556
- looking north from junction 19 of the M6 at Knutsford showing the existing A556 and the route of the new road taking shape down to the junction
More details of the public information exhibition, the project itself and a copy of the latest newsletter are available at the scheme’s dedicated web page. A new Facebook page has also been launched and is available to view.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.