DRIVERS are one step closer to feeling the full benefit of the £192 million A556 work, with the final phase beginning next month and a completion date of March 2017.

Highways England, which is building the new link road between junction 19 of the M6 at Knutsford and junction seven of the M56 at Bowdon, have released the details on the final phase of road works for the project before its opening in March.

The project aims to provide a faster and ‘more reliable’ link between the two motorways.

Paul Hampson, Highways England project manager, said: “We are on course to open the new dual carriageway by the end of March, if not sooner. As well as starting work next month to connect the new dual carriageway to the M6 and M56 link roads, we’ll be using the weekend closures to do some preparation along the existing A556 which will become a B road with much-improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

“We’re working hard with partners and stakeholders like the emergency services and Manchester Airport to plan for these weekend closures and to make sure they’ll be well-publicised once the full details are confirmed.”

Full weekend closures of the existing A556, junction 19 of the M6 and junctions seven and eight of the M56 are scheduled to start in mid-February.

The closures will allow the old road to be sealed off from through traffic and the motorway junctions to be tied into the new dual carriageway.

A full weekend closure of the existing A556 and associated M6 and M56 junctions will take place between 9pm on Friday, February 17 and 5am on Monday, February 20.

Another full weekend closure of the existing A556 and associated M6 and M56 junctions will take place from 9pm on Friday, March 3 to 5am on Monday, March 6, with the new road opening to drivers that morning for the first time.

A final full weekend closure of the old A556 and new A556 will take place between 9pm on Friday, March 10 and 5am on Monday, March 13 to finalise work to seal off the old road.