Mancunian Way closure

Saturday 27 to Monday 29 June 2026

From 5am on Saturday 27 June to 6am on Monday 29 June, the Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions from the Chester Road roundabout to Fairfield Street for planned maintenance works and safety inspections.

Traffic will be diverted via the northern side of the Inner Ring Road which includes Trinity Way, New Bridge Street, Angel Street, Addington Street and Great Ancoats Street.

For local journeys, eastbound traffic will be diverted via Chester Road, Bridgewater Viaduct, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street and Fairfield Street with westbound journeys signed via Fairfield Street, Whitworth Street, Whitworth Street West, Albion Street, Medlock Street, Princess Road, Stretford Road and Chorlton Road.

Key advice

Based on data from previous closures, the quietest time to travel will be before midday. Traffic levels will be higher from 12pm with the busiest time likely to be between 4pm and 7pm on Saturday and 3pm and 6pm on Sunday. Chester Road, Regent Road, Whitworth Street, Fairfield Street, Princess Road and the Inner Ring Road approaching the Mancunian Way are likely to be the most impacted roads.

Using the M60 and the motorway network will likely be the fastest way to get from one side of the Greater Manchester to the other. If you are already in the city centre and looking to make a journey, use the northern sections of the Inner Ring Road (Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street) to avoid being caught in congestion on the Whitworth Street diversion route or use Alan Turing Way, Queens Road, Pottery Lane, Wilbraham Road and Trafford Road.

Metrolink will be your best option to avoid expected congestion. For those with no option other than to drive, they can still avoid city centre congestion by parking for free at one of 24 park and ride locations and completing their journey by tram.

On average over 90,000 vehicles use Mancunian Way every day. As Manchester city centre's busiest road, maintenance work and annual safety inspections are needed to take place to ensure seamless and safe journeys for you in the future.

Thorough maintenance of a major road isn't a quick task and to ensure the safety of road workers, and to complete the works in as quick as time as possible, a weekend closure is required. A team made up of Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and TfGM have worked together to identify the weekend which will have the least impact on drivers and people travelling for events.

Works due to be carried out will include safety inspections, road repairs, lighting inspections, street sweeping, drainage clearance, and general work to improve any defects. Signed diversions will be in place to keep you moving, however we would strongly advise considering your travel options or, if you need to drive near the city centre, to allow extra time.

From 5am on Saturday 27 June to 6am Monday 29 June, the Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions from the Chester Road roundabout to Fairfield Street.

Traffic will be diverted via the northern side of the Inner Ring Road which includes Trinity Way, New Bridge Street, Angel Street, Addington Street and Great Ancoats Street.

Impact on the roads

Due to diversions, customers are likely going to see significantly increased journey times when road users travel across the city centre. Based on data from previous closures, the quietest time to travel will be before midday.

The busiest times are likely to be from 11am-2pm and again from 4pm and 7pm when travelling on Whitworth Street or routes parallel to the Inner Ring Road. If you can, consider retiming your journey to avoid the busiest periods.

For cross city journeys, Using the M60 and the motorway network will likely be the fastest way to get from A to B. If road users are already in the city centre and looking to make a journey, consider using the northern side of the Inner ring road (Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street). For customers on the outskirts of the city centre consider using routes further out from the city centre e.g. Queens Road, Wilbraham Road or Alan Turing Way to avoid being caught in congestion within the city centre.

Due to increased traffic on a number of key routes, bus services through the city centre are likely to be subject to delays.

For up-to-date timetable information, please check your service before travelling.

If you are considering catching a bus, live bus tracking is available via the BeeNetwork App. You can also find information about latest travel updates via the Travel Alerts Hub.

For additional support, feedback and up-to-date information, you can contact us via our Bee Network twitter/X account.

With journey times on the roads likely to be higher than usual in and around the city centre, why not travel smart and use the tram network to help you complete your journey?

You can take a look at the tram network map to plan your route.

To get up-to-date information on tram departures from your location, simply type your stop into our live updates webpage.

Alternatively, to check the service frequency and the first and last tram times from your stop, visit our tram schedule for more information.

Park and Ride

If you are driving, did you know that there are 24 Park and Ride sites in Greater Manchester, where you can park your car for free and hop on the tram to your destination? If you're travelling from the M60, the best park and ride sites to use are:

Travelling from the north:

Whitefield (Bury line) - 331 spaces and 13 disabled spaces.
Radcliffe (Bury line) - 480 spaces and 22 disabled spaces.

Travelling from the south:

Sale Water Park (Airport line) - 285 spaces and 16 disabled spaces.
East Didsbury (East Didsbury line) - 278 spaces and 18 disabled spaces.

For shorter trips, particularly in the city centre, help reduce congestion on the road (and maybe have a quicker journey)by cycling or walking.

Explore your neighbourhood with our active travel website.