More details have been announced about a £192 million project to build a new dual carriageway linking the M56 to the M6.
The five-mile dual carriageway will see a mile-long section of the existing A556 upgraded from junction 7 of the M56 near Bowdon before breaking away to the west, bypassing the village centres of Bucklow Hill, Mere and Over Tabley. It will then join up with junction 19 of the M6 near Knutsford.
Work on the scheme began earlier this month, and a temporary 40mph speed limit is currently in place between Bowdon and Bucklow Hill for the safety of both road workers and road users.
The Highways Agency team overseeing the A556 project will be available to answer questions at an event taking place at the Curzon Cinema in Knutsford on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 November.
A short computer-generated video has also been released showing how the new A556 will look when it opens in two years’ time.
Just over one in ten vehicles on the current route of the A556 is a heavy goods vehicle, and there have been 98 accidents along the road in a five-year period. The new bypass will take traffic away from local villages where numerous side roads, driveways and field entrances currently connect with the road. Improvements will also be made to the layout of junction 7 of the M56.
The new dual carriageway is expected to open in Winter 2016/17 and work to convert the existing A556 to a local road, including creating a separate track for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians, will be completed by Summer 2017.
The event at the Curzon Cinema on Toft Road will take place from 1pm until 8pm on Friday 28 November, and from 10am until 4pm on Saturday 29 November.
