Closure
M56 Eastbound Jct 9 to 7 Carriageway Closure
from 22:00
Tonight
🚨 Live M56 Incidents & Roadworks
Auto-refresh 3 minClosure
M56 Eastbound Jct 7 Carriageway Closure between exit and entry slips
from 22:00 tomorrow
Tomorrow night
Spotted something on the M56?
Warn other drivers in real time — thousands check these pages every day
💥 Crash⚠️ Hazard⛔ Closure🐌 Queue
🗺️ M56 Traffic Map — Where It's Happening
Tap a pin for full incident detail. Live positions from National Highways.
🔢 M56 Junction Status
Tap a junction for its pageJ2Wythenshawe & Northenden40 crashes
J3Wythenshawe & Gatley31 crashes
J4Manchester Airport & Ringway14 crashes
J5Manchester Airport & Styal11 crashes
J6Hale & Hale Barns15 crashes
J9Lymm & Thelwall27 crashes
J10Warrington & Stretton28 crashes
J11Runcorn & Preston Brook17 crashes
J12Runcorn & Frodsham30 crashes
J14Ellesmere Port & Elton32 crashes
J15Ellesmere Port & Dunham39 crashes
🟢 Clear · 🟡 Delays nearby · 🔴 Severe/Crash · Status labels: 💥 CRASH · ❌ CLOSED · 🐌 SLOW · 🚧 WORKS · ⚠️ HAZARD
A red or orange junction border marks a STATS19 collision blackspot. Tap any junction for its own page — live incidents and full collision history. Tap the funnel to filter the list above.
📊 How busy is the M56?
The M56 carries up to 179,634 vehicles a day at its busiest stretch (J3–J4), including 7,547 HGVs — the 3rd busiest motorway in Britain. Official Department for Transport counts, 2025.
179,634
🚗 vehicles a day · J3–J4
7,547
🚛 lorries a day
2025
📅 DfT count year
share of traffic on the busiest stretch
Busiest stretch of each motorway — vehicles a day
M25
212,636
M6
187,521
M56
179,634
M1
162,446
M8
158,065
M4
156,491
View as table
| Road | Busiest stretch | Vehicles/day | HGVs/day | HGV share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | near J14 | 212,636 | 14,853 | 7% |
| M6 | J20–J21 | 187,521 | 23,492 | 12.5% |
| M56 ◀ | J3–J4 | 179,634 | 7,547 | 4.2% |
| M1 | near J9 | 162,446 | 19,151 | 11.8% |
| M8 | J16–J17 | 158,065 | 7,214 | 4.6% |
| M4 | near J4 | 156,491 | 6,249 | 4% |
Source: Department for Transport road traffic statistics, average annual daily flows 2025. Official counts, updated yearly.
📈 M56 Journey Pulse — when incidents actually happen
Measured from 60 incidents recorded on the M56 since February 2026: the riskiest window is 15:00–18:00, when 35% of incidents start. Right now (02:00) you're outside the peak window.
00
04
08
12
16
20
📈 Busiest 15:00–18:00
😌 Quietest 05:00–08:00
🕒 Typically clears in ~37 min ⏱ Typical delay ~10 min 📅 Weekdays see ~3.6× the weekend rate
View as table
| Hour | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–01:00 | 4 | 6.7% |
| 01:00–02:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 02:00–03:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 03:00–04:00 | 2 | 3.3% |
| 04:00–05:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 05:00–06:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 06:00–07:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 07:00–08:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 08:00–09:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 09:00–10:00 | 4 | 6.7% |
| 10:00–11:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 11:00–12:00 | 4 | 6.7% |
| 12:00–13:00 | 2 | 3.3% |
| 13:00–14:00 | 4 | 6.7% |
| 14:00–15:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 15:00–16:00 ◀ peak | 6 | 10% |
| 16:00–17:00 ◀ peak | 5 | 8.3% |
| 17:00–18:00 ◀ peak | 10 | 16.7% |
| 18:00–19:00 | 2 | 3.3% |
| 19:00–20:00 | 3 | 5% |
| 20:00–21:00 | 4 | 6.7% |
| 21:00–22:00 | 1 | 1.7% |
| 22:00–23:00 | 2 | 3.3% |
| 23:00–00:00 | 0 | 0% |
Measured from 60 incidents recorded by this site since February 2026 (planned roadworks excluded). Recomputed nightly from our incident archive.
🧭 Along the M56
⚠️ Most Dangerous M56 Junctions
Based on DfT STATS19 police collision records. The M56 has 316 recorded collisions at 14 collision hotspots, involving 457 casualties (2 fatal). Take extra care here.
#1
Severe Blackspot
J2
40 collisions · 57 casualties · 1 fatal · 8 serious
#2
Severe Blackspot
J10
28 collisions · 39 casualties · 1 fatal · 8 serious
#3
Severe Blackspot
J14
32 collisions · 51 casualties · 8 serious
#4
Severe Blackspot
J12
30 collisions · 40 casualties · 8 serious
#5
Severe Blackspot
J3
31 collisions · 50 casualties · 7 serious
#6
Severe Blackspot
nr Ellesmere Port
15 collisions · 17 casualties · 5 serious
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❓ M56 Traffic — Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the M56 closed today?
Any M56 closure appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, including tonight's overnight roadworks closures.
Q: Is there traffic on the M56 today?
The live feed above shows every incident, delay, roadwork and overnight closure on the M56, updated every 5 minutes from National Highways.
Q: What is the worst time to use the M56?
The M56 is typically busiest during morning rush hour (07:00–09:30) and evening rush hour (16:30–19:00) on weekdays.
Q: Are there roadworks on the M56 right now?
There are currently 1 active roadwork schemes on the M56. Check the live feed above for exact locations and durations.
Q: What roads connect to the M56?
The M56 connects to: M60, M6, M53.
Q: How many vehicles use the M56 every day?
Official Department for Transport counts (2025) record 179,634 vehicles a day on the M56's busiest stretch (J3–J4), 7,547 of them HGVs. The full breakdown and comparison chart are in the traffic statistics section above.
Q: How busy is the M56 compared with other motorways?
The M56 has the 3rd busiest motorway stretch in Britain at 179,634 vehicles a day (DfT 2025), behind the M25's 212,636 a day at the top.
Q: What time of day is the M56 worst for incidents?
Measured from 60 incidents recorded on the M56 since February 2026, the riskiest window is 15:00–18:00, when 35% of incidents start. The quietest is 05:00–08:00. Incidents on the M56 typically clear in about 37 minutes.
Q: What junction is Manchester Airport on the M56?
Manchester Airport sits just off the M56 at junction 5, which has a dedicated airport link road serving all terminals.
📊 M56 Status Summary
0
Active incidents
0
Severe/serious
1
Roadworks
02:50
Last updated
🆘 Broken down on the M56?
One free request reaches local recovery firms
ℹ️ M56 Road Details
- Length
- 33 miles
- Junctions
- 16
- From
- Manchester (M60 J4)
- To
- Chester (M53)
- Type
- Motorway
- AM Rush
- 07:00–09:30
- PM Rush
- 16:30–19:00
📍 Key M56 Locations
Manchester
Manchester Airport
Northwich
Chester
🔗 Roads Connecting to the M56
🛣️ M56 Services & Motorway Stops
🔗 Related Tools
📱 Follow M56 Updates
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