A5117 road
Encyclopedia
The A5117 is a road
in Cheshire
, England
. It runs between Shotwick
and Helsby
and connects the A550 at Woodbank to the M56
. As such it forms a northerly bypass to Chester
and a shorter route between the North West and North Wales
than the A55
. The road is dualled west of the M56. There is roundabout with the A540
and at Dunkirk at the western terminus of the M56. East of the junction the road is single carriageway
and crosses the A41
by way of a roundabout at Backford Cross
. The A5117 intersects the M53
at Junction 10. This junction is just east of Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. The road then continues almost parallel to the M56, which it intersects at Junction 14, at which there is a Motorway service area
. The road then continues south east to terminate where it joins the A56
at Helsby.
, Dunkirk roundabout to Sealand was started in 2006. It is regularly congested but the improvement will see the road converted to grade separated
2-lane dual carriageway
standard http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5018.aspx. The Government decided that a motorway standard M56 extension would be too environmentally damaging, and instead opted for a route utilising part of the existing road without widening works, whilst providing off-line bypasses for all of the at-grade junctions. The improvements will tie in to recently completed works over the Welsh border
which upgraded the A550 to a standard similar to that of motorways. Work started in late 2006 for completion by mid 2008.
which burns off refinery gases.
, the North West and North Wales via the Queensferry
Lifting bridge, the A550 and the A494, to join the A55 at Ewloe
. Some sections were constructed in concrete. The road was lined for much of its length with poplar trees. This original tree lined boulevard
layout is still in evidence on the section adjacent to Stanlow Refinery
. In the 1960s it was marked out as a single carriageway 3-lane road. The middle lane was known as the "suicide" lane due to overtaking vehicles from each direction heading towards each other at speed. Vehicles in the nearside lanes wold experience an up and down vertical motion due to the need for "summit and valley" drainage on this otherwise flat section of road.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It runs between Shotwick
Shotwick
Shotwick is a village and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
and Helsby
Helsby
Helsby is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, Helsby had a population of 4,701.-Geography:...
and connects the A550 at Woodbank to the M56
M56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
. As such it forms a northerly bypass to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and a shorter route between the North West and North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
than the A55
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
. The road is dualled west of the M56. There is roundabout with the A540
A540 road
The A540 is a non-primary road that runs from Chester, Cheshire to Hoylake, Wirral. It is the only road in the series A54X that is within England ....
and at Dunkirk at the western terminus of the M56. East of the junction the road is single carriageway
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
and crosses the A41
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
by way of a roundabout at Backford Cross
Backford Cross
Backford Cross is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. It is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port and part of Cheshire West and Chester. Backford Cross is located around the A41/A5117 junction, south of Great Sutton and about north of the village of Backford, near Chester....
. The A5117 intersects the M53
M53 motorway
The M53 is a motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It can also be referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway...
at Junction 10. This junction is just east of Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. The road then continues almost parallel to the M56, which it intersects at Junction 14, at which there is a Motorway service area
Motorway service area
In the UK motorway service areas, also known as service stations, are places where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel, rest, or take refreshments. The vast majority of motorway services in the UK are owned by one of three companies: Moto, Welcome Break and RoadChef. Extra are also developing a...
. The road then continues south east to terminate where it joins the A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
at Helsby.
Current Construction
The upgrading of the A5117 on a section west of the M56 motorwayM56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
, Dunkirk roundabout to Sealand was started in 2006. It is regularly congested but the improvement will see the road converted to grade separated
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
2-lane dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
standard http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5018.aspx. The Government decided that a motorway standard M56 extension would be too environmentally damaging, and instead opted for a route utilising part of the existing road without widening works, whilst providing off-line bypasses for all of the at-grade junctions. The improvements will tie in to recently completed works over the Welsh border
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
which upgraded the A550 to a standard similar to that of motorways. Work started in late 2006 for completion by mid 2008.
Points of interest
Travelling west the sandstone cliff above Helsby appears as the profile of a man's face. The road passes the Stanlow RefineryStanlow Refinery
Stanlow Refinery is an oil refinery owned by Essar Energy in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It was previously owned by Royal Dutch Shell and is part of the Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex.-History:...
which burns off refinery gases.
History
The road was built in the 1930s and known as the "Shotwick - Helsby Bypass". It formed a link between ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the North West and North Wales via the Queensferry
Queensferry, Flintshire
Queensferry is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee near the border with England.Queensferry lies along the B5441 and B5129 roads, and is bypassed by the A494 dual carriageway. It is contiguous with Deeside...
Lifting bridge, the A550 and the A494, to join the A55 at Ewloe
Ewloe
Ewloe is a small town in North Wales, contiguous with Hawarden and Buckley and near to Queensferry and Shotton. Situated close to the Flintshire/Cheshire sector of the Wales-England border, Ewloe forms part of Deeside. The A55 expressway passes through the town and its most notable landmark is...
. Some sections were constructed in concrete. The road was lined for much of its length with poplar trees. This original tree lined boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
layout is still in evidence on the section adjacent to Stanlow Refinery
Stanlow Refinery
Stanlow Refinery is an oil refinery owned by Essar Energy in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It was previously owned by Royal Dutch Shell and is part of the Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex.-History:...
. In the 1960s it was marked out as a single carriageway 3-lane road. The middle lane was known as the "suicide" lane due to overtaking vehicles from each direction heading towards each other at speed. Vehicles in the nearside lanes wold experience an up and down vertical motion due to the need for "summit and valley" drainage on this otherwise flat section of road.