TheM53is an 18.9-mile-long (30.4 km)motorwayin theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral,Merseysideand theboroughofCheshire West and Chester,Cheshireon theWirral Peninsulain England.[1]It is also referred to as theMid Wirral Motorway.[2]It runs between theKingsway Tunnel,atWallaseyin the north, and theA55atChester.[1]
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 M53 highlighted in blue Shown in North West England  Shown with the UK motorway network | ||||
 Looking north nearStoreton | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNational Highways | ||||
| Length | 18.9 mi (30.4 km) | |||
| Existed | 1972–present | |||
| History |
| |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end | Bidston 53°25′N3°05′W/ 53.41°N 3.08°W | |||
  J11 →M56 motorway | ||||
| South end | Hoole Village 53°13′N2°52′W/ 53.21°N 2.86°W | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Counties | Merseyside,Cheshire | |||
| Primary destinations | ||||
| Road network | ||||
| ||||
The main reason for the motorway was to provide a through route to the newMersey Road Tunnel, Kingsway,which was built at the same time. Part of this motorway was originally the M531.
Route
edit
Starting at the northern end, the motorway starts inWallaseyat the exit slip roads from the Kingsway Tunnel from Liverpool. It loops round the north west ofBirkenheadand then runs south as a dual three-lane route betweenUpton,Woodchurchin the west andPrenton.From junctions 1 to 3 it runs parallel to theBorderlands railway line.It crosses this line south of junction 3. From this junction it proceeds south to the west ofBebingtonthrough junction 4 and then further south for 4 miles (6.4 km) (where it crosses theWirral railway line), before narrowing to dual two-lane[3]and turning sharply to the east. At junction 5, traffic for Wales can take theA41,A550andA494to join theA55nearEwloe.The road passes north and then east ofHooton,then to the east ofOverpoolandWolverhamand withEllesmere Portto the west.
South of junction 10 the route enters a moreruralsetting, passing under theM56 motorwayat junction 11. Finally, it heads south and becomes the A55North WalesExpressway at junction 12.
History
editThis motorway was originally two separate projects, the M53 and M531. The M53 was originally proposed to run from theKingsway TunneltoBackford.[4]The M531 would have run from a point just west of the current junction 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 twoMerseyroad tunnels with the A55 trunk road on theWelshborder, giving Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside a direct link withChesterand the towns on theNorth Walescoast.
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
editThe first section of the M531 was built to improve access to theVauxhall Ellesmere Portfacility. It was opened in 1968 as a non-designated road.[4]Subsequently this road was extended further south to meet theA5117and 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
editConstruction on the M53 started in 1969.[6]It was to be built in stages as part of a strategic route to North Wales for traffic fromMerseyside.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. This first section from the tunnel to junction 5, where it connected straight into the Vauxhall Motors road, was opened byLord Leverhulmein a ceremony at Hooton on 1 February 1972.[6]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 theA41and would likely have terminated on the M56,[7]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][dead link]
Dates
edit- Junctions 1 to 5 were opened in 1972
- Junctions 5 to 8 were redesignated as motorway in 1974 as part of the M531[8]
- Junctions 8 to 10 opened in 1975 as part of the M531
- Junctions 10 to 11 were opened in 1981
- Junctions 11 to 12 were opened in 1982
Incidents
editCoach crash
editOn 29 September 2023, a coach overturned and crashed in theM53 motorway coach crash.Jessica Baker, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, and the driver, Stephen Shrimpton, both died in the crash.[9]
Junctions
editThis section is missing a table that represents a list of exits or junctions. Please help byadding the missing exit or junction list.(December 2021) |
| M53 motorway junctions | |||||
| mile | km | Northbound exits (B carriageway) | Junction | Southbound exits (A carriageway) | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | End of motorway Road continues asWallasey TunneltowardsLiverpool |
J1 | Birkenhead,New Brighton,WallaseyA5139(A554) Non-motorway traffic | |
Birkenhead [Note 1]A5139
|
Start of motorway
| ||||
| Wallasey,BirkenheadA554 | |||||
| 6.5 | 10.5 | Hoylake,West Kirby(A551) | J2 | Hoylake,West Kirby(A551) | |
| 8.6 | 13.8 | BirkenheadA552 | J3 | Birkenhead,HeswallA552 | |
| 11.7 | 18.8 | Clatterbridge,Heswall,BebingtonA5137 | J4 | Bebington,Bromborough,Clatterbridge,NestonA5137 | |
| 15.8 | 25.4 | Birkenhead,QueensferryA41 | J5 | NORTH WALES,Queensferry,EasthamA41 | |
| 16.2 | 26.1 | EnteringMerseyside | J6 | Vauxhall(Cars Only),Eastham Oil Terminal | |
| Vauxhall(Cars Only),Eastham Oil Terminal | EnteringCheshire | ||||
| 17.5 | 28.2 | Overpool,Whitby, North Road Industrial EstateB5132 | J7 | Overpool,Whitby, North Road Industrial EstateB5132 | |
| 18.3 | 29.5 | Netherpooland Rossmore Industrial Estates,Docks | J8 | Netherpooland Rossmore Industrial Estates,Docks | |
| 19.1 | 30.7 | Ellesmere Port(Centre),Boat MuseumA5032 | J9 | Ellesmere Port(Centre),Stanlow,Boat MuseumA5032 | |
| 20.9 | 33.7 | Queensferry,StanlowA5117 | J10 | Queensferry,StanlowA5117 | |
| 21.6 | 34.8 | Runcorn,Liverpool ,Warrington,(M6),
|
J11 | Runcorn,Warrington,(M6),ManchesterM56 | |
| 24.5 | 39.5 | Start of motorway
|
J12 | ChesterA56 | |
| 24.9 | 40.1 | Chester,HelsbyA56 Non-motorway traffic |
End of motorway Road continues asA55towardsNorth Wales | ||
| Moreton Spur | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of motorway West KirbyA551(B5139) MoretonA551,Hoylake(A553) |
J2A
|
MoretonA551,Hoylake(A553) | |||
| UptonA551 | Start of motorway (MoretonSpur)
| ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Data fromdriver location signsis used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.[10]
- Notes
- ^1:Signed as 'All Docks'.
Traffic counts
edit| Section | Capacity | AADT(2019) | Count point data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1-J2 | D3 | 77,684 | 
|
46040 |
| J2-J2A (Moreton Spur) | D2 | 43,788 |
|
56042 |
| J2-J3 | D3 | 65,764 |
|
6045 |
| J3-J4 | 70,602 |
|
75457 | |
| J4-J5 | 60,257 |
|
16041 | |
| J5-J6 | 73,717 |
|
26063 | |
| J6-J7 | D2 | 53,795 |
|
46059 |
| J7-J8 | 71,378 |
|
16060 | |
| J8-J9 | 77,609 |
|
36063 | |
| J9-J10 | 66,522 | 
|
56062 | |
| J10-J11 | D3 | 79,872 |
|
27872 |
| J11-J12 | D2 | 69,147 |
|
75190 |
M53 Divide
editThe M53 is seen as an east–west divide between the affluent and developing areas of the Wirral.[11][12]
Culture
editA full-sized replica of one of the motorway's bridges forms part of the exhibitionO' Magic Power of BleaknessbyMark LeckeyatTate Britain(September 2019 – January 2020).[13][14]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ab"Motorway Database: M53".CBRD.Retrieved12 August2008.
- ^"The Mid-Wirral Motorway M53 and A55 Extension to the Welsh Border".The Motorway Archive. Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2017.Retrieved22 April2017.
- ^,"CBRD Motorway Database-M53 Exit List".crdb.co.uk.Chris Marshall. Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2017.Retrieved22 April2017.
- ^ab"M53. The Mid-Wirral Motorway".The Motorway Archive.The Motorway Archive Trust. Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2017.Retrieved22 April2017.
- ^abMarshall, Chris."CBRD » Histories » The M53".CBRD.Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2011.Retrieved26 February2011.
- ^abHughes, Lorna (26 December 2017)."The story of the M53 - how the mid-Wirral motorway was built".Liverpool Echo.Retrieved18 March2021.
- ^"Written Answers to Questions".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons. 23 July 1993. col. 403.
- ^"The Motorway Archive – M53 Opening Dates".Institution of Highways and Transportation. Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2007.Retrieved24 September2006.
- ^Craig Williams (29 September 2023)."M53 crash: Coach driver and 15-year-old schoolgirl killed".The Herald.Retrieved29 September2023.
- ^"Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map(selected Popups)".Highways Agency. Archived fromthe originalon 10 February 2012.Retrieved11 November2009.
- ^Cummins, Dr Anthony G. (6 August 2021)."Health inequalities on Wirral: A living Black report?".
- ^"The M53 divide: How Wirral is split between poverty and wealth".2 September 2018.
- ^"'Pixie encounter' under Cheshire bridge inspires Tate exhibition ".BBC. 25 September 2019.Retrieved17 December2019.
- ^"Mark Leckey O' Magic Power of Bleakness".Tate.Retrieved17 December2019.
Further reading
edit- Manning, Craig (5 January 2021)."M53 Moreton Spur bridge replacement continues this weekend".Wirral Globe.
- Manning, Craig (8 January 2021)."Next phase of M53 Moreton Spur bridge replacement to start".Wirral Globe.
- "M53 Moreton Bridge Demolition".Carnell Group.
- "M53 Bidston Moss Viaduct Upgrade A Major Success".Costain.2 April 2012.
- "£2.8 million M53 bridge repairs underway".UK Government.6 February 2015.