M53’s £50m upgrades start next week

Four bridges are due to be replaced along the 19-mile stretch of motorway between Chester and Wallasey as part of the National Highways programme, alongside a series of repairs, resurfacing, and drainage improvements.

The work will hopefully reinvigorate a roadway whose oldest parts date to 1972.

Galliford Try is the main contractor for the first portion of the £50m, three-year project, which is part of the government’s broader £27bn Road Investment Strategy.

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The project will focus on five sections of the M53: the Eastham Viaduct, Junction 7 to Junction 10, Upton Road Bridge, Raby Hall Bridge, and Clatterbridge Interchange.

Work will start first on the Eastham Viaduct, which is due £3m of maintenance. The to-do list includes replacing the expansion joints along the bridge between Junction 4 and Junction 5.

The programme between Junction 7 and Junction 10 includes £5.2m for resurfacing and £455,000 for drainage upgrades. This will commence in July and continue into autumn. For those not familiar with the M53, this part covers from Ellesmere Port to Little Stanney.

Upton Road Bridge carries the A5027 over the M53 between Junction 2 and Junction 3. The bridge decks will be replaced as part of the works. Galliford Try is due to begin this project in the summer, with work concluding in winter 2027.

Raby Hall Road Bridge, which carries the local road there over the M53 between Junction 4 and Junction 5, will be replaced.

The last two bridges to be replaced will be at Clatterbridge Interchange, which sits at Junction 4 of the M53.

To try and mitigate disruption to motorists, National Highways is committing to doing overnight lane closures when possible for the project and to limit the number of weekend closures to just the demolition and installation phases.

Amy Williams, National Highways’ director for the North West, said: “Parts of the M53 were built almost 55 years ago at a time when traffic volumes and the weight of vehicles was considerably lower.

“This £50m maintenance, renewals and repairs package – including the new bridge decks – will help secure safe, smooth and reliable journeys for businesses, commuters, residents and other motorway users for many years to come.”