Mancunian Way set for lane closures for safety works
The nine-week project will start on Sunday 7 January
Drivers will face delays on Mancunian Way from next week as safety inspections will see lane closures.
Lanes will be closed on the motorway, one of Manchester’s busiest roads, as well as on two footbridges to allow safety works to go ahead. The nine-week project will start on Sunday (January 7), and will involve ‘specialised investigations for each bridge structure including running surfaces, waterproof membranes, tension cables and anchoring points’.
However, the essential bridge maintenance will not mean lanes of the A57(M) will be closed for all nine weeks. Instead, they will only be in place for a month.
That being said, although Mancunian Way will only be affected by lane closures, the Bonsall Street Bridge — only open to buses, cyclists, and pedestrians — and the Freeman Street Footbridge will be fully closed. Manchester City Council says that is necessary ‘based on the scope of works required for these bridges’.
“We understand that this period of work may be disruptive, however, these inspection works are vital and we will endeavour to complete them as quickly as possible,” added Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport.
“Safety is and will remain our top priority and we must ensure that our roads and bridges remain safe to use and drive on. During this time, there will of course be heavier levels of traffic – especially during peak periods – therefore, I would ask people to please plan ahead and use the TfGM journey planner.”
The schedule of works is as follows:
- Mancunian Way – lane closures for up to four weeks, from January 7
- Freeman Street Footbridge (Princess Street) – full closure for up to two weeks from February 5
- Bonsall Bridge (Princess Street) – Full closure for up to three weeks from February 19
Mancunian Way has also recently been the subject of a consultation on the future of its speed limit, with council officials proposing to permanently drop the limit to 30mph. It was lowered on a temporary basis in November 2022 following the tragic death of 17-year-old Nadia Yusuf, who died after a Mercedes being driven by Rohail Jillani crashed into a bridge.
The move is part of the authority’s drive to decrease all speed limits on its roads to 30mph, with a report to its economy and regeneration scrutiny committee revealing ‘Highway Services are currently working on a scheme to reduce all 40 and 50mph speed limits in Manchester to 30mph’.
You can see the latest closures on Mancunian Way via the council’s website.