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A555 road

A555 shield
A555
A555_under_construction_near_A6.jpg
The A555 under construction, viewed from an old section of the A6 Buxton Road, looking west
Route information
Maintained by
Cheshire East Council
Length8.1 mi (13.0 km)
Major junctions
West endManchester Airport
Major intersections A34
A5102
A523
A6
East endHazel Grove
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesCheshire, Greater Manchester
Road network
← A554→ A556

The A555 road is in Greater Manchester, England, along its southern border with Cheshire. It is officially known as the Manchester Airport Eastern Link and runs between Manchester Airport and the A6 south of Hazel Grove in the borough of Stockport.

History

The earliest section of the A555 was completed in 1995, as part of an abandoned scheme to connect Stockport, Hazel Grove and Poynton to Manchester Airport. It was intended as a relief road to ease congestion. The original plan, which dated from the 1940s, was to build a bypass connecting Bredbury and Hazel Grove, and from Hazel Grove to Woodford, bypassing Poynton. The road would then run from Woodford to Handforth, as it does now, and then on to the airport. However, only the middle section, which crosses the A34 Handforth bypass (built at the same time) was completed, because of a shortage of funds.

Central section

Until 2018, the route ran from the border of Woodford and Bramhall at a junction with the A5102, heading westward for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) before it reaches the A34 Handforth bypass, which is accessed by a grade-separated junction. Close to this is Handforth Dean retail outlet, consisting of Tesco Extra and Marks & Spencer. The route ended at a double-headed roundabout with the B5358, on the border of Handforth and Heald Green, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from the airport.

Expansion

In November 2008, money was pledged by the then Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon to extend the route to Hazel Grove, and complete the link to the airport.[1] However, following the change in government at the 2010 general election, the plans were placed on hold once more.[2]

In November 2011, the government finally approved plans to complete the link, as part of a major programme of infrastructure investment.[3] The A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, which completes the route between Hazel Grove and the airport using the A555, gained its final approval in March 2015 and was scheduled for completion and opening in spring 2018.[4]

Persistent heavy rain from December 2017 to February 2018 and the collapse of construction firm Carillion delayed the opening date until later in the year. An activity day including a 5 km (3.1 mi) fun run took place on 7 October 2018 as a precursor to full opening[5] and the bypass opened for general use on 15 October 2018, at 06:00.[6] This section has been subject to persistent flooding and subsequent closures.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Airport road link gets go-ahead". BBC News. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Traffic plans scrapped by government". Stockport Express. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Government's green light for A6 link to Manchester Airport and electrification of train line to Leeds". Manchester Evening News. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Work finally starts in Stockport on the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road – after almost 80 years". Manchester Evening News. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. ^ A6MARR set to open to traffic, SEMMMS
  6. ^ "A6MARR opens to traffic". SEMMMS (South East Multi-Modal Strategy). 17 October 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ Bardsley, Andrew (8 August 2021). "Notorious A555 Airport Relief Road floods again after heavy downpours". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
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