Option chosen for Knutsford motorway pinch point

Highways England has announced its preferred option for reducing congestion at junction 19 of the M6 in Cheshire, and said it expects to be on site with the £50m works no later than March 2020.

Last summer Highways England held a public consultation to decide between two proposals to improve the junction.

Option A was selected, which will provide a double cut-through, linking traffic leaving the M6 northbound to the northbound A556, and those leaving the M6 southbound to the A556 southbound. All other links would use the existing roundabout.

Wider lanes will be added to increase capacity, alongside renewal of traffic signals, and a new bridge spanning the M6 motorway.

Highways England said that “although Option A is more expensive than Option B, it will provide extra capacity at the junction that will accommodate growth further into the future”.

Both Cheshire East Council and Tabley Council threw their weight behind Option A as a better long-term solution for the area.

Highways England will now carry out surveys and site investigations in order to design the scheme in more detail.

Consultation events are expected to be held over autumn 2017.

The scheme builds on other investment in roads in the area, such as the M6 smart motorway scheme which is currently being built, and the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon improvement scheme, which recently opened to traffic.