M53 motorway

M53 motorway shield

M53 motorway
Route information
Length: 18.9 mi (30.4 km)
Existed: 1972 – present
History: Constructed 1972–1982
Major junctions
North end: Wallasey
53°24′41″N 3°04′49″W / 53.4114°N 3.0802°W / 53.4114; -3.0802 (M53 motorway (northern end))
 
J11 → M56 motorway
South end: Chester
53°12′52″N 2°51′24″W / 53.2144°N 2.8567°W / 53.2144; -2.8567 (M53 motorway (southern end))
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Liverpool, Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port, All Docks, North Wales, Wallasey
Road network

The M53 is a 18.9-mile (30.4 km) motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in England.[1] It can also be referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway.[2] It runs between the Kingsway Tunnel, at Wallasey in the north, and the A55 at Chester.[1]

The main reason for the motorway was to provide a through route to the new Mersey Road Tunnel, Kingsway, which was built at the same time. Part of this motorway was originally the M531.

Route

Looking northwards, midway between junctions 3 and 4 at Storeton

Starting at the northern end, the motorway starts in Wallasey at the exit slip roads from the Kingsway Tunnel from Liverpool. It loops round the north west of Birkenhead and then runs south as a dual 3-lane route between Upton, Woodchurch in the west and Prenton. From junctions 1 to 3 it runs parallel to the Borderlands railway line. It crosses this line south of junction 3. From this junction it proceeds south to the west of Bebington through junction 4 and then further south for 4 miles (6.4 km) (where it crosses the Wirral railway line), before narrowing to dual 2 lanes[3] and turning sharply to the east. At junction 5, traffic for Wales can take the A41, A550 & A494 to join the A55 near Ewloe. The road passes north and then east of Hooton, then to the east of Overpool and Wolverham and with Ellesmere Port to the west.

South of junction 10 the route enters a more rural setting, passing under the M56 motorway at junction 11. Finally it heads south and becomes the A55 North Wales Expressway at junction 12.

History

This motorway was originally two separate projects, the M53 and M531. The M53 was originally proposed to run from the Kingsway Tunnel to Backford.[4] The M531 would have run from between the current junctions 4 & 5 and provided a connection with the M56 for eastbound travel.

When the M53 was first planned in the early 1960s, it was designed as a route to connect the two Mersey road tunnels with the A55 trunk road on the Welsh border, giving Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside a direct link with Chester and the towns on the North Wales coast.

In the event, the A55 link was never built and instead the M531 (by-passing the eastern side of Chester) was incorporated into the M53.[5]

M531

The first section of the M531 was built to improve access to the Vauxhall Motors factory near Ellesmere Port. It was opened in 1968 as a non-designated road.[4] Subsequently this road was extended further south to meet the A5117 and was designated as the M531. In March 1981 the M531 was lengthened to meet the M56 and at this stage the whole route was redesignated as the M53.

M53

Construction on the M53 started in 1969. It was to be built in stages as part of a strategic route to North Wales for traffic from Merseyside. The route to North Wales was unresolved as there was even an option to run due west from south of junction 4 and cross the River Dee on a barrage. In 1972 this first section from the tunnel to junction 5 where it connected straight into the Vauxhall Motors road was opened. A junction was partially built to allow extension of the motorway further south west, around 1 mile (1.6 km) west of junction 5. The unbuilt motorway would have provided a bypass of the A41 and would likely have terminated on the M56,[6] though exactly where is unknown. The unfinished junction for this extension has now been demolished.

The final section of the M53 provided a link to Chester from the M56 and was opened in 1982. No plans are known to exist to complete the originally planned M53.[5]

Dates

Junctions

Data[8] from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.

M53 motorway junctions
mile km Northbound exits (B carriageway) Junction Southbound exits (A carriageway)
0.0 0.0 Road continues as A5139 towards Kingsway Tunnel and Liverpool J1 Bidston, Wallasey A554
Non-motorway traffic
Claughton, Wallasey A554 Start of motorway
6.5 10.5 West Kirby, Hoylake, Upton A5027 J2 West Kirby, Hoylake, Upton A5027
8.6 13.8 Tranmere, Heswall, Woodchurch, Prenton A552 J3 Tranmere, Heswall, Woodchurch, Prenton A552
11.7 18.8 Heswall A5137
Bebington, Port Sunlight B5137 		J4 Heswall A5137
Bebington, Port Sunlight B5137
15.8 25.4 Eastham, Hooton A41
Queensferry (A550)		 J5 Bebington, Eastham, Hooton A41
Queensferry (A550)
16.2 26.1 Eastham Oil Terminal B5132 J6 Eastham Oil Terminal B5132
17.5 28.2 Overpool, Vauxhall Motors B5132 J7 Overpool, Vauxhall Motors B5132
18.3 29.5 Overpool B5132
Industrial Estate A5032 		J8 Industrial Estate A5032
19.1 30.7 Ellesmere Port A5032
Stanlow Refinery		 J9 Ellesmere Port A5032
20.9 33.7 Elton, Whitbyheath, Cheshire Oaks A5117
Queensferry (A550)		 J10 Elton, Whitbyheath, Cheshire Oaks A5117
Queensferry (A550)
21.6 34.8 Runcorn, Warrington, Manchester M56 J11 Runcorn, Warrington, Manchester M56
24.5 39.5 Start of motorway J12 Chester A56
24.9 40.1 Chester, Helsby A56
Non-motorway traffic		 Road continues as A55 to North Wales
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Motorway Database: M53". CBRD. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  2. ↑ "The Mid-Wirral Motorway M53 and A55 Extension to the Welsh Border". The Motorway Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  3. ↑ "CBRD Motorway Database – M53 Exit List". Chris Marshall.
  4. 1 2 "The Motorway Archive – M53 Scheme Page". Institution of Highways and Transportation.
  5. 1 2 Marshall, Chris. "CBRD » Histories » The M53". CBRD. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Written Answers to Questions". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 23 July 1993. col. 403.
  7. ↑ "The Motorway Archive – M53 Opening Dates". Institution of Highways and Transportation.
  8. ↑ "Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map (selected Popups)". Highways Agency. Retrieved 11 November 2009.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

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