NEW aerial photographs released by Highways England show work on the £192 million new A556 road linking the M6 and M56 near Knutsford.

Meanwhile Highways England and Costain, the lead contractor for the Knutsford to Bowdon scheme – which will bypass the existing A556 – have launched a newsletter to ensure residents and other local people are kept up to date with progress.

Work started in November and is set to be completed in early 2017.

The early months of the project have been spent on setting up the main project offices along the A56 Lymm Road just off Bowdon roundabout. The site also includes material and plant storage facilities.

Other work has included installing boundary fencing and environmental mitigation measures.

The project is now entering a key stage with work on installing three of the new road’s seven bridges – the ones at Bowdon, Tabley and Millington – as well as an underpass at Old Hall Lane.

Work on clearing land to accommodate a new roundabout as part of the remodelled M56 junction seven is also underway

Jonathan Stokes, Highways England project manager, said: "Aerial photographs provide us with useful information to help us with the construction of the road but also give us a perfect opportunity to share the progress we are making and how the new road is developing.

"It’s obviously early days but even these first pictures show how the new link road is starting to take shape.”

Roads Minister Andrew Jones added: "Roads are key to our nation’s prosperity. Our investment in roads is the biggest in a generation and is a key part of our long term economic plan.

"We are delivering the promises on road investment and these pictures demonstrate the excellent progress being made on the A556. The new road will divert heavy traffic away from local villages, making it is easier for residents to see friends and family and creating jobs and opportunities."

The four pictures released today by Highways England include: the site office and land clearance for a new roundabout between the M56 and Bowdon Roundabout; work just north east of junction 19 of the M6 to build a new roundabout and bridge which will link the old and new A556 routes after the old A556 link to the motorway roundabout is cut off; work around the A50 west of Mere to provide a site compound and roundabout adjacent to the new route again linking both new route and old A556 and; work around Millington Lane west of the A556 and just south of the M56 where the new route will link into and then diverge away from the existing route.

Residents can keep up to date with progress through a newsletter - with the first edition due to be published and posted through local doors over the next few weeks.

The newsletter can be read online at highways.gov.uk/publications/a556-knutsford-to-bowdon-improvement-newsletter-issue-1-july-2015/

Two planned and scheduled road closures off the A556 – of Millington Hall Lane north of Bucklow Hill and Old Hall Lane at Over Tabley – will take place on Monday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 2 respectively, lasting for the duration of the project.