Manchester City Council has confirmed that the Mancunian Way will no longer be closed for its “annual maintenance” this weekend.
It was revealed earlier this week that the major road in and out of the city centre would be fully closed in both directions so that maintenance works could be carried out this Saturday and Sunday – a weekend full of events scheduled to take place.
This weekend alone, Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash at home at Old Trafford with a 5:30pm kick-off, boyband The Wanted will take to the stage at the AO Arena as part of their reunion tour, and the Manchester ‘Irish Parade’ will make its through Cheetham Hill to the city centre to mark St Patrick’s Day.
But now, the Council has announced that the road’s annual closure will be rescheduled to the weekend of Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March, from 5am on Saturday morning through to 7pm on Sunday evening.
The closure will allow essential work to take place to keep the bridge safe and will be in place from Chester Road roundabout through to Pin Mill Brow, the Council says.
A map showing the section of road due to be closed and the surrounding areas set to be affected / Credit: Google Maps (via TfGM)
The work will include safety inspections, road repairs, lighting inspections, street sweeping, drainage clearance, and general work to improve any defects, while the overall integrity of the structure will also be assessed.
ADVERTISEMENT
TfGM has already set out a number of transport alternatives for those travelling in and out of the city centre on the scheduled maintenance weekend, but has now also revealed that signed diversions will be in place for the duration of the closure.
However, TfGM says it’s still important to “plan ahead” and familiarise yourself with the recommended diversion routes before travelling.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision to postpone the scheduled maintenance to the following weekend, Cllr Tracey Rawlins – Manchester City Council’s executive member for environment – said: “Apologies if the change in dates to close the Mancunian Way for its annual maintenance weekend has impacted anyone’s weekend plans.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Mancunian Way will now be closed on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March / Credit: Pixabay
She continued: “Tens of thousands of cars use the bridge each day, so these works are vital to ensure the safety of the road – but we try to choose an appropriate weekend to undertake the maintenance work to limit congestion caused by the closure.
“The weekend coming was originally chosen as it presented the least amount of disruption on our roads, but it is right that we can be flexible to changing circumstances.
“Given the postponement of the Man City game against Brighton next weekend, it is sensible to reschedule our maintenance works to limit the impact on road users.”
You can find more information about the Mancunian Way closure next weekend here.
Manchester set for its busiest weekend of the year with pop-up Park and Rides to open
Emily Sergeant
Pop-up Park and Ride facilities are set to open as Manchester prepares for what’s expected to be its busiest weekend of the year.
The festive season in the run up to Christmas always sees more people flock to the city centre than usual, but this weekend will likely be even busier than expected, as not only are Manchester Christmas Markets still in full swing, but there are also a number of gigs, live festive shows, and major sporting events coinciding with this.
So in a weekend that sees legends gigging and the Manchester Derby take place, as you would expect, thousands are predicted to flock to Manchester city centre and Etihad Campus.
Manchester Christmas Markets are in full swing and Paul McCartney will be at Co-op Live this weekend / Credit: The Manc Group | Wikimedia Commons
Because of this, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is taking action and encouraging people to dodge the likely congestion and use public transport instead where possible – with pop-up Park and Rides set to be introduced for weekend shoppers and fun-seekers who do want or need to drive.
On Saturday and Sunday, Booth Street West Car Park D (M15 6PD) – which will have 965 parking spaces available – will be free for customers travelling to the city centre by bus, and then again on Sunday, the same car park will be free for those attending Paul McCartney at Co-op Live.
Your ticket to the gig must be shown on entry, before a dedicated shuttle bus then takes you from the car park to the Etihad Campus.
Disney On Ice will be hosting four shows at AO Arena this weekend / Credit: Supplied
Shuttle buses – which are only available on the Sunday – will depart from Higher Cambridge Street and run to Co-op Live and back every 15 mins from 4pm until midnight.
Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground (Talbot Road, Stretford, M16 0PX) will also have 500 parking spaces available for Metrolink customers on Sunday, but you must show a valid pre-booked tram ticket to park there.
On Sunday [15 Dec], we’re offering free parking at Emirates Old Trafford to help relieve congestion in the city.
The Park and Ride is available to customers with a valid tram ticket purchased on the app, at a ticket machine or via contactless.
Anyone else planning to drive across the weekend may also want to consider using one of the permanent Park and Ride sites and complete their journey on foot or by public transport, and you can find more information and the locations of these sites on the Bee Network website here.
Tram capacity has been increased for the festive season, with every available tram running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The V1 and 36 bus services now also run 24 hours a day.
Other late-running buses on the Bee Network from Manchester include the 43 service to Manchester Airport, the 86 to Sale, and the 142 to East Didsbury.
Body found in search for missing Stockport postman Steven Caulfield
Emily Sergeant
A body has been found in the search for a 70-year-old former postman from Stockport who went missing a couple of months ago.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a public appeal after to help find Steven Caulfield, who was last seen in the vicinity of the golf course next to Middlewood Way, in the Marple area of Stockport, at around 4pm Tuesday 1 October, after he failed to return home from a walk.
Since Steven was reported missing, an extensive missing person investigation was launched by Stockport detectives, alongside a widespread search by specialist GMP officers, and a number of missing appeals were also published on social media and shared widely – not just in Greater Manchester, but all across the UK.
#UPDATE | At around 12pm today (Wednesday 11th December 2024), an officer sadly located a body in woodland near to Middlewood Way in Stockport.
At this time, we believe this is likely to be Steven Caulfield who went missing on Tuesday 1 October.
But sadly, at around 12pm yesterday (Wednesday 11 December 2024), a GMP officer has sadly located a body in a woodland area near to Middlewood Way in Stockport, and at this time, police believe this is likely to be the body of Steven Caulfield.
Steven’s next of kin have been made aware and are currently being supported by officers.
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding Steven’s death, according to GMP.
Speaking on the discovery of the body, Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, Stockport District Commander and GMP lead for Disaster Victim Identification, said: “Our deepest condolences remain with Steven’s family and friends, who have been devastated by this traumatic news, we have officers supporting them through this difficult time.
“It has been a challenging couple of months since the missing report came to us in GMP and our Tactical Aid Unit, Specialist Search, Canine and Underwater Units were all utilised to search for Steven in challenging conditions and locations around the Middlewood Way.
“We hope today’s discovery provides some answers for Steven’s loved ones.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th March 2022 
