M56 motorway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M56 motorway
North Cheshire Motorway
Looking east from Junction 14
Route information
Part of E22
Maintained by Highways England
Length	33.3 mi (53.6 km)
Existed	1971–present
History	Opened: 1971 Completed: 1981
Major junctions
East end	Cheadle
	J1 → M60 motorway J9 → M6 motorway J15 → M53 motorway
West end	Mollington
Location
Counties:	Greater Manchester, Cheshire
Primary destinations:	Manchester Manchester Airport Warrington Runcorn Ellesmere Port
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones ← M55 M57 →

The M56, or North Cheshire Motorway, is a motorway in North West England. It links Chester with Manchester. It also links to the A55, which links drivers to North Wales. The motorway also passes Manchester Airport. The motorway also crosses the M6, linking it to Chester and Manchester. The motorway is about 33 miles (53 km) long.

Junctions

M56 motorway junctions
mile	km	Eastbound exits (B Carriageway)	Junction	Westbound exits (A Carriageway)
		Motorway merges onto M60 continuing towards Stockport	M60 J4	Start of motorway (Sharston Spur)
		Manchester City Centre, Didsbury A34	J1	No access (on-slip only)
		No access (on-slip only)	J2	Altrincham, Wythenshawe A560, Liverpool (M62), Bolton (M61) (M60)
		End of motorway Road continues as A5103 towards Manchester	J3A	Sharston, Altrincham, Baguley A560
		Altrincham, Wythenshawe, Wythenshawe , Cheadle A560		Start of motorway (Princess Parkway Spur)
		Manchester City Centre, (M60(N&W)), (M62(W)), (M61) (A5103)	J3 (TOTSO EB)	No access (on-slip only)
7.2	11.6	No access (on-slip only)	J4	Wythenshawe
		End of motorway Wilmslow, Wythenshawe A555 (B5166), Business Park, Terminal 3 Terminal 1,		Start of motorway (Airport Spur)
		Terminal 2		No access (on-slip only)
7.8	12.6	Manchester	J5	Manchester , Quarry Bank Mill
8.9	14.3	Hale, Wilmslow, Macclesfield A538	J6	Wilmslow, Hale, Macclesfield, Manchester Airport Freight Terminal A538
		Entering Greater Manchester		River Bollin
		River Bollin		Entering Cheshire
12.4	19.9	Northwich A556, Altrincham A56	J7	Birmingham (M6(S)), Northwich A556, Lymm A56
		No access	J8	No access (on-slip only)
17.6	28.3	Preston, Birmingham M6, Leeds, Manchester (N) (M62), Lymm (A50) Lymm Truck Stop	J9 Services	Preston M6, Liverpool (M62), Warrington, Lymm (A50) Lymm Truck Stop
20.8	33.4	Warrington, Northwich A49	J10	Northwich, Warrington A49
23.8	38.3	Runcorn (East), Warrington A56	J11	Preston Brook, Daresbury A56
		A533	J11A	A533
26.8	43.1	Liverpool , Runcorn, Widnes A557	J12	Liverpool , Frodsham, Runcorn, Widnes A557
		Weaver Viaduct
31.9	51.4	Stanlow, Helsby A5117 Chester services	J14 Services	Helsby, Stanlow, Chester Zoo A5117 Chester services
34.5	55.6	No access (on-slip only)	J15	Chester, Wrexham M53
		No access (on-slip only)		Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead M53
		Start of motorway	J16	End of motorway Road continues as A494 towards North Wales
		Ellesmere Port A5117, Whitchurch (A41) Non-motorway traffic		Hoylake, Chester A540, Birkenhead (A550)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi