Mancunian Way to close for 48 hours

Mancunian is to be closed over the weekend of 25-26 March for its annual maintenance inspection.

Commuters are being reminded to plan ahead and prepare for the 48-hour closure between Chester Road and Fairfield Street that will allow all the work to be completed over next weekend, 25-26 March.

Drivers travelling across the city are advised to use the M60 as their most reliable route, and those who need local access are being urged to allow more time for their journey and follow local diversions.

Signposts with information on diversionary routes will be set out clearly, but drivers are advised to plan their journey before setting off, avoiding driving across the city centre if possible, and to allow a little extra journey time.

Commuters have also been advised to consider swapping their car for public transport if possible.

Up to 100 engineers will be grafting round the clock throughout the weekend. Due to the legally required safety inspection, other work will be carried out, including routine maintenance on street lighting, crash barriers, signage, gully cleaning and any additional carriageway repairs.

The Council hopes that by carrying out the maintenance works on this weekend will help minimise disruption to drivers, also minimising the risk of short-notice emergency work. All traffic will have to be stopped during this period as underground chambers have to be examined.

Transport for Greater Manchester has created a travel information page – www.tfgm.com/mancunian-way – to help people who need to travel on the weekend of the closure.The weekend 25/26 March has been selected as there are no major sporting or other events taking place in the city this weekend.

Councillor Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council’s executive member for environment, said:  “Over 50,000 vehicles per day use the Mancunian Way and whilst we appreciate that drivers might be inconvenienced during the closure, we are legally required to do this and want to ensure the safety of all our road users.

"Working in partnership with TfGM we hope to minimise any potential travel disruption this weekend.”

For travel information please visit www.tfgm.com/mancunian-way