Four M53 bridges to be replaced in £50m three-year works package
Drivers using the M53 between Chester and Wirral face three years of disruption from Monday, as National Highways begins a £50m programme of bridge replacements, resurfacing and drainage works.
The first phase starts on 18 May with a £3m project to replace expansion joints along Eastham Viaduct, which carries the motorway over the Merseyrail Wirral line between Chester and Liverpool.
That work will use overnight carriageway closures to set out narrow lane traffic management on both the northbound and southbound carriageways, and is expected to continue into the autumn.
A £5.2m resurfacing project and £455,000 of drainage works will follow in July on the section between junction 7 at Ellesmere Port and junction 10 at Little Stanney.
That stretch is the part of the M53 closest to Flintshire drivers using the motorway to reach the Mersey Tunnels, Liverpool, and employers on the Wirral.
Four bridges will also be replaced over the course of the programme.
They are the Upton Road bridge carrying the A5027 over the motorway between junctions 2 and 3, the Raby Hall Road bridge between junctions 4 and 5, and the two bridges that form the Clatterbridge interchange roundabout at junction 4.
National Highways said each new bridge deck will be assembled alongside the motorway and wheeled into place after the old structure has been demolished.
The agency said overnight lane closures will be used where possible, with a limited number of weekend motorway closures for demolition and installation. Traffic management will also be needed on local roads.
Amy Williams, National Highways’ director for the North West, said:
“Parts of the M53 were built almost 55 years ago at a time when traffic volumes and the weight of vehicles was considerably lower.”
“This £50 million maintenance, renewals and repairs package, including the new bridge decks, will help secure safe, smooth and reliable journeys for businesses, commuters, residents and other motorway users for many years to come.”
The 19-mile M53 runs between Chester and Wallasey.
The northern section serving the Mersey Tunnels opened in 1972 and the final stretch to Hoole on the edge of Chester was completed in 1982.
The programme is part of the UK Government’s £27bn five-year Road Investment Strategy, which has allocated £8.4bn for resurfacing and bridge renewals across England between 2026 and 2031.
National Highways said it plans to hold public information events for road users and residents, and is encouraging drivers to sign up for updates through its scheme webpage.
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