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Trunk A-road

A56 traffic and collisions

The A56 is a trunk A-road of 74.2 miles, from West Cheshire to North Yorkshire. This page covers its traffic at 75 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
75 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 550m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 20,320 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 71,466 M66 to A682
  • HGV share 3.4% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 +1.3% same count points
  • Collisions, 2021 to 2025 703 27.0 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A56?

On an average day in 2025, 20,320 vehicles passed each point on the A56, counting both directions. The busiest section is M66 to A682 (Lancashire), with 71,466 a day; the quietest listed is A557 to A56, with 4,924.

Busiest sections, 2025

M66 to A682 carries 3.5 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A56 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
M66 to A682 Lancashire · 1.6 mi · HGVs 5.3% 71,466
A682 to A680 Lancashire · 0.9 mi · HGVs 5.7% 51,578
A679 to M65 Lancashire · 1.0 mi · HGVs 6.2% 43,473
A680 to A679 Lancashire · 3.4 mi · HGVs 6.7% 42,667
A6177 to A680 Lancashire · 2.1 mi · HGVs 5.3% 41,110
A58 to A56 Walmersley Rd Bury · 0.7 mi · HGVs 1.5% 37,694
A560 to A6144 Trafford · 2.3 mi · HGVs 1.2% 33,949
A5145 to A5014 Trafford · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.2% 32,449
A41 to M53 West Cheshire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 1.4% 31,887
A6144 to M60 Trafford · 1.4 mi · HGVs 1.4% 29,019

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

West Cheshire to North Yorkshire · 74.2 miles

West Cheshire North Yorkshire
Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A56 traffic and collisions by section

64 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 3 short link roads and spurs (0.6 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 64 sections Tap a column heading to sort
Sections of the A56 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1A5268 to A41West Cheshire1.617,8810.7%+9.8%2758.2
2A41 to M53West Cheshire0.531,8871.4%−0.8%9–
3M53 to A5117West Cheshire5.07,2734.0%−7.4%1625.1
4A5117(T) to A56(T)West Cheshire4.010,5101.5%−7.8%2635.3
5A56(T) to A557West Cheshire1.017,0861.3%−10.6%1549.3
6A557 to A56West Cheshire, Halton1.54,9242.1%−7.1%5–
7A56 split to A533 Northwich RoadHalton0.320,3963.2%–0–
8A533 to Bridgwater GrangeHalton0.811,7865.5%−5.8%fewer than 3–
9Bridgwater Grange to M56Halton0.78,5828.1%−29.5%5–
10M56 to A558Halton1.421,1757.0%–4–
11A558 to A5060Halton, Warrington2.426,0172.2%−3.6%1513.9
12A5060 to A49Warrington0.75,3001.6%−5.8%10152.4
13A49 to A50Warrington1.96,5691.8%+10.6%1149.8
14A50 to Bell LaneWarrington0.87,9142.4%−5.7%6–
15Bell Lane, Thelwall to Princess Rd, LymmWarrington1.27,8001.3%−7.5%fewer than 3–
16Princess Rd to A6144Warrington0.48,6581.3%−7.5%4–
17A6144 to Oughtrington LaneWarrington1.17,7731.4%−25.7%7–
18Oughtrington Lane, Lymm to M56Warrington, East Cheshire3.47,4821.6%−18.5%7–
19M56 to B5161 Bow Green RdEast Cheshire, Trafford0.417,1892.0%+13.1%fewer than 3–
20B5161 Bow Green Rd to A560Trafford1.918,8892.0%+13.1%1323.6
21A560 to A6144Trafford2.333,9491.2%+10.7%2920.5
22A6144 to M60Trafford1.429,0191.4%+14.6%2334.4
23M60 to A5181Trafford0.458,2461.2%−9.5%5–
24A5181 to A5145Trafford0.440,8051.0%−11.9%12–
25A5145 to A5014Trafford0.632,4491.2%−22.0%1130.8
26A5014 to A5081Trafford1.125,5331.2%+8.3%3574.3
27A5081/A5063 to A5014Trafford0.922,8222.9%−4.2%4–
28A5014 to A57(M)Manchester0.430,0292.3%−4.4%15–
29A57(M) to A6143Manchester0.414,8231.4%−6.0%16–
30A6143 to A34Manchester0.29,6801.5%−12.5%8–
31A34 Quay St to A34 Bridge StManchester0.27,2901.5%−26.2%5–
32A34 to A6Manchester0.16,1461.7%–0–
33A6 to A34Manchester0.16,1461.7%–0–
34At A6Manchester0.15,6491.2%−61.6%fewer than 3–
35A6041 to A56Salford0.13,7481.4%+17.7%fewer than 3–
36A56 to A6Salford0.15,4281.1%+12.5%0–
37A6041 to A6042Manchester0.24,8570.9%−74.3%fewer than 3–
38A6042 to A576Manchester, Salford1.114,3651.4%−3.2%34123.6
39A56 to A6044Salford, Bury1.716,2631.4%−6.3%3061.3
40A6044 to M60Bury1.320,5311.8%−12.7%2243.1
41M60 to A665Bury0.435,7732.1%+1.4%8–
42A665 to A6053Bury2.225,4921.6%+0.4%2118.0
43A6053 to A58Bury1.217,9391.2%+1.4%2568.4
44A58 to A56 Walmersley RdBury0.737,6941.5%+5.1%7–
45A56 Peel Way to Rowlands RdBury2.111,4962.1%−1.0%2253.0
46Rowlands Rd to M66Bury0.510,4612.1%−1.0%0–
47M66 to Bury New RdBury0.816,3686.8%+7.8%0–
48Bury New Rd to BYE ROADBury0.68,5565.4%−5.0%fewer than 3–
49BYE ROAD to M66Bury, Lancashire0.97,2754.5%−6.6%5–
50M66 to A676Lancashire0.214,2935.3%+12.8%fewer than 3–
51M66 to A682Lancashire1.671,4665.3%+12.8%136.7
52A682 to A680Lancashire0.951,5785.7%−2.6%5–
53A680 to A681Lancashire0.450,8115.2%−4.4%7–
54A681 to A6177Lancashire0.457,7235.3%+12.9%3–
55A6177 to A680Lancashire2.141,1105.3%+2.7%2315.7
56A680 to A679Lancashire3.442,6676.7%+10.0%187.9
57A679 to M65Lancashire1.043,4736.2%−3.0%2532.8
58A682 to A6068Lancashire0.512,1870.8%−1.8%1096.1
59At A6068Lancashire0.713,5330.8%−3.5%7–
60A6068 to A56 Market StLancashire1.116,7170.7%+8.8%1858.2
61A56 Church St to A56 Skipton RdLancashire0.210,1850.8%+2.3%9–
62A56 Market St to A6068Lancashire0.26,9801.1%−5.7%3–
63A6068 to Castle RdLancashire0.419,4783.4%+17.5%5–
64Castle Rd, Colne to A59Lancashire, North Yorkshire7.015,2263.6%+10.2%2614.3

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A56 as the first road, placed on the nearest section by their recorded position; rates (per 100 million vehicle miles) are shown for sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more.

A56 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 81.1% of the vehicle miles on the A56. HGVs account for 3.4%, rising to 8.1% on Bridgwater Grange to M56.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A56, by year
Year HGV share
2000 4.9%
2001 4.6%
2002 4.8%
2003 4.9%
2004 5.0%
2005 4.9%
2006 4.8%
2007 4.9%
2008 4.9%
2009 4.7%
2010 4.6%
2011 4.3%
2012 4.0%
2013 4.0%
2014 3.8%
2015 3.7%
2016 3.7%
2017 3.9%
2018 4.0%
2019 3.9%
2020 4.4%
2021 4.2%
2022 3.8%
2023 3.7%
2024 3.6%
2025 3.4%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

A56 traffic trend

Traffic on the A56 came to 550 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 1.3% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 3.6% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is down 1.6% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A56 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 537m
2001 531m
2002 543m
2003 555m
2004 554m
2005 547m
2006 561m
2007 553m
2008 536m
2009 538m
2010 535m
2011 534m
2012 531m
2013 527m
2014 553m
2015 559m
2016 563m
2017 544m
2018 549m
2019 547m
2020 414m
2021 472m
2022 510m
2023 533m
2024 538m
2025 550m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A56, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 20,071
2001 19,834
2002 20,292
2003 20,724
2004 20,723
2005 20,455
2006 20,960
2007 20,674
2008 20,036
2009 20,090
2010 19,977
2011 19,957
2012 19,864
2013 19,706
2014 20,594
2015 20,848
2016 20,998
2017 20,225
2018 20,234
2019 20,171
2020 15,280
2021 17,405
2022 18,802
2023 19,666
2024 19,880
2025 20,320

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

The chart counts the whole road as it was each year, so new or renumbered stretches move it. The percentage changes compare only count points present in both years. In 2025, 18 of the 75 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A56 collisions

Police recorded 703 collisions with the A56 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 187 of them fatal or serious, including 12 fatal. That is 27.0 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 1.9 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

About the same in 2025 as in 2021.

Police-reported collisions on the A56 by year: fatal or serious, and slight
Year SlightFatal or serious
2021 10637
2022 10738
2023 11036
2024 9532
2025 9844

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

Sections with the highest collision rates

Per 100 million vehicle miles, 2021 to 2025. Sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more collisions.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A56, 2021 to 2025
Section Per 100m vehicle miles
A5060 to A49 Warrington · 10 collisions 152.4
A6042 to A576 Manchester, Salford · 34 collisions 123.6
A682 to A6068 Lancashire · 10 collisions 96.1
A5014 to A5081 Trafford · 35 collisions 74.3
A6053 to A58 Bury · 25 collisions 68.4
A56 to A6044 Salford, Bury · 30 collisions 61.3
A6068 to A56 Market St Lancashire · 18 collisions 58.2
A5268 to A41 West Cheshire · 27 collisions 58.2

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

A further 156 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A56 was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. How we count collisions

Council areas on the A56

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

  • West Cheshire
  • Halton
  • Warrington
  • East Cheshire
  • Trafford
  • Manchester
  • Salford
  • Bury
  • Lancashire
  • North Yorkshire

Planned closures on the A56 in England

National Highways has 11 planned closures on the A56 between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, all of them starting in that period. 8 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 11 start between 7pm and 6am.

  • Carriageway A56 northbound Bent Gate exit slip road closure

    17 Sept 21:00 to 18 Sept 05:00 Road maintenance

  • Carriageway A56 northbound Edenfield entry slip road closure

    17 Sept 21:00 to 18 Sept 05:00 Road maintenance

  • Carriageway A56 northbound Bent Gate exit slip road closure

    18 Sept 21:00 to 19 Sept 05:00 Road maintenance

  • Carriageway A56 northbound Edenfield entry slip road closure

    18 Sept 21:00 to 19 Sept 05:00 Road maintenance

  • Carriageway M65 westbound to A56 southbound dedicated lane closure

    22 Sept 20:00 to 25 Sept 05:00 Road maintenance Also affects M65

  • Lane or slip A56 Northbound Lane 1 closure (1/0 to 3/6)

    23 Sept 21:00 to 24 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects M66

  • Lane or slip A56 Southbound Grane Road entry slip Lane 1 closure

    23 Sept 21:00 to 25 Sept 05:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A56 Southbound lane 1 closure (MP 4/9 to 3/6)

    24 Sept 20:00 to 25 Sept 05:00 Construction work

3 more planned closures in this period are not shown.

Planned closures only: National Highways can cancel or change them, and closures caused by incidents are not shown. Council roads in England are not covered. Roadworks and closures across the UK

Source:National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 Updated

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Traffic counts and vehicle mix Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring 		2000 to 2025 75 count points in 2025 15 September 2026
Reported collisions Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring 		2021 to 2025 703 reported collisions 15 September 2026
Planned closures Transport Data Feeds (DATEX II) National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 2,304 planned closure schemes 16 September 2026
  • Annual average daily flow (AADF) is the average number of vehicles passing a point on a typical day of the year, both directions combined.
  • Vehicle miles are AADF multiplied by link length and 365, summed over every count point link on the road.
  • Sections join count point links between junctions, using the link lines in DfT’s major road database.
  • STATS19 covers personal injury collisions reported to the police. Damage-only collisions are not included, and not every injury collision is reported.
  • Serious and slight figures are DfT’s adjusted estimates, which allow for police forces moving to injury-based reporting.
  • Counts of one or two collisions below Great Britain level are shown as “fewer than 3”.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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