HERE’S everything explained about major ongoing roadworks that are causing traffic chaos in Cheshire.

A major maintenance scheme is currently underway on the A56 Chester Road which is resulting in particularly heavy traffic in and around the area.

This consists of a full reconstruction of a 2.37km section of the road and the works have been coordinated with a new traffic signal junction at Delph Lane as part of the ongoing housing development there.

Work on the northbound carriageway officially began on October 24 and this will be ongoing until March 25 with vehicles in contraflow on the southbound carriageway.

After this, traffic will then be switched to the repaired side while work is carried out on the southbound side.

It is expected that the entire scheme will be completed by October 2025.

Halton Borough Council, who is overseeing the works, says it must be recognised that there will never be a good time to complete them.

A spokesperson for the council said: “It must be recognised that there will never be a good time to undertake these works as they impact on a major route into Halton and Warrington.

“Essentially two lanes out of four are out of service, and the speed limit has been temporarily reduced from 70 mph to 30mph for safety reasons.

“This unavoidably reduces vehicle capacity on the A56. There will be temporary disruption to journey times, and some drivers will choose to use other routes on the public highway that are normally quiet.

“During the planning stages, night working was considered, but as the carriageway is being entirely removed it cannot be opened in the day time until work is complete.

“Working only nights would increase the overall project timeline significantly with no benefit, and create noise for surrounding residents during hours of darkness.

“The completion of the work in smaller phases / sections was also considered, but this extended the project timescale considerably.”

The council also says the major maintenance work is ‘essential’ to maintain the resilience of the road.

Since the works started, it has held daily meetings with the contractor to review traffic management arrangements and it said that this will continue to be the case throughout the duration of the works.

“For any concerns about driver behaviour, for example speeding or ignoring signage directions or traffic orders, such as weight limits, these issues should be raised directly with the police, as the council does not have any enforcement powers to deal with these circumstances,” HBC’s website reads.