Long delays expected during 5 months of work at airport tunnels

by Lisa Reeves

Thursday 13^th April 2017

Thu 13^th Apr 2017

Motorists can expect to face long delays on the A538 for five months as roadworks take place at the runway tunnels.

New energy efficient, low maintenance and controllable lighting will be installed in the four tunnels and the walls will be repainted. In order to carry out these works the tunnels will need to be closed and temporarily capacity will be reduced to a single lane in each direction so traffic will share the same tunnels.

The restrictions will commence on Wednesday 3rd May when the 30 mph speed restriction will be extended from the logistics site works through the tunnels.

Traffic exiting Mill Lane will be too close to the works area and so will not be allowed to turn right towards Wilmslow. All traffic will be diverted towards Hale Barns and traffic heading to Wilmslow directed to use the roundabout under Junction 6 of the M56.

Between 10pm on Friday 5th 5am on Saturday 6th May the tunnels will be closed to traffic travelling from Hale Barns towards Wilmslow whilst contra-flow arrangements are established. A diversion route will be in place. From on Saturday 6th May traffic in both directions will share the two tunnels that currently carry traffic from Hale Barns to Wilmslow.

At the end of June there will be another nighttime closure for traffic traveling from Wilmslow to Hale Barns and then through July and September traffic in both directions will share the two tunnels that currently carry traffic from Wilmslow to Hale Barns.

In September there will be a final night time closure to return traffic follows to their correct tunnels. The dates of these June/August closures will be confirmed as works progress.

Additionally there will be ten days of closures for each of the tunnels that carry pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. During these closures a road crossing will be placed to allow users to cross the A538 and allow travellers in both directions to share the tunnels. The dates of these closures will be confirmed as works progress.

Updates will be provided as these works progress.

Tags:: A538, Manchester Airport

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Alan Brough

Thursday 13^th April 2017 at 3:38 pm

Thanks for this information Lisa,

Do you know what the long term plan is for the Logistics Park junction?

As the number of businesses and employees grow, the consequential build-up of traffic on the A538 from Wilmslow will increase.

Nick Jones

Thursday 13^th April 2017 at 5:41 pm

Its bad enough at 'Rush' hour already... Nightmare !

Fred Rayers

Thursday 13^th April 2017 at 7:15 pm

How does "New energy efficient, low maintenance and controllable lighting will be installed in the four tunnels and the walls will be repainted." take 5 months - do they only have one guy working on it?

Pete Taylor

Thursday 13^th April 2017 at 10:17 pm

Ask George Osborne and Michel Jones- they went on a junket to China and begged for the money to create this nightmare.

Vince Chadwick

Tuesday 18^th April 2017 at 7:26 pm

Apart from night time closures, why will this work cause 'long delays'? There will be two way single file traffic through one of the two tunnels albeit with a 30mph speed restriction, while the other is closed for the work to be done. The road approaching the tunnels, from both Altrincham and Wilmslow, is two way single file, and from Altrincham currently has a 30mph speed restriction.

Since the tunnel closure will not cause road capacity to be less than that of the roads either side of the tunnels, why shouldn't traffic flow normally?

Barry Stafford

Wednesday 19^th April 2017 at 5:19 pm

Usual scenario with these contracts..They only work 4.1/2"days. SPEND 3 HOURS SATin the van with papers and tea each day and knock off at 4pm, Just look at the total c...-up on the A34 airport new road with Carillion.I thought all contracts had to have penalties for delays.Baz

Chris Boothman

Wednesday 19^th April 2017 at 6:50 pm

You are correct Vince. Last time the tunnels had maintenance work it actually helped the traffic flow better at a sensible speed. The crazy gang who drive through the tunnels at 70 MPH, then brake hard and cut back in as late as possible will be thwarted. The A538 is already getting slower and more congested as you reach the Sunbank Lane/Airport City junction. If they don't make the whole road two lanes in each direction from the Airport Inn roundabout through to the M56 they may as well just leave it as one lane permanently.

As for the none motorised tunnels, closing the west side tunnel will be a problem despite an alleged crossing. The east tunnel is almost unused anyway, as it doesn't connect to anything it just ends at a bus stop on the north side. As someone who always cycles to work at the airport I shall enjoy watching the proceedings. Get on your bike!

Barry Buxton

Wednesday 19^th April 2017 at 7:05 pm

It's scandalous that this work is going to take 5 months!! Instead of doing it on the cheap spend more and get it done quicker.

Wednesday 19^th April 2017 at 8:29 pm

I would like to hear a response from ANY CEC Councillor to Vince Cadwick's last paragraph.
Ever since the first twin tunnel was built traffic has flowed faster when only one side was open. How long ago was that? 30+ years?

Simon Worthington

Saturday 22^nd April 2017 at 7:43 am

What a joke. As the work area is undercover why are they not working 24/7? The whole job should take less than a month. The "airport city" (on greenbelt) is one of Gideon's fine legacies and a planning disaster. The main entrance to this carbuncle should have been from a widened slip road onto the west bound M56 with a direct exit further along onto the M56 for traffic headed towards the M6 etc. No right turn into the site would then be necessary. Obviously GMC (who no doubt trousered a fortune from flogging a farm) are as incompetent as our bunch of shameless bunglers.

Estelle Lewis

Thursday 27^th April 2017 at 9:36 pm

Another bl**dy road undergoing work!!! Is there a plan afoot to stop us all leaving Wilmslow to maybe spend money elsewhere?!

Jonathan Follows

Thursday 6^th July 2017 at 3:01 pm

As of Tuesday 4 July the tunnel switch-over mentioned for the end of June hasn't happened. There was also a one way system with traffic lights which caused 15 minutes of delays.

Keith Chapman

Thursday 6^th July 2017 at 4:00 pm

I have been travelling each day at peak times both ways via the tunnels to avoid much worse congestion at the Manchester Offices turn to Manchester airport. Queues there are caused by the work on the airport relief road. Driving via the tunnels is a breeze! Clearly bags of capacity and no serious delays experienced in the past week.