Work on a £5 million upgrade project to the A556 road in Cheshire is now complete.

The former A556 Chester Road, which has been replaced by the £192m Knutsford to Bowdon bypass, has been converted by Highways England and Costain into the new 5.4km B5569 road.

With the new A556 opening to drivers in March, work to convert the old route has included;

• turning the old northbound two lane carriageway into a dedicated, segregated green route for pedestrians, cyclists and horses riders – four metres wide and separated from the new B road by a wide border planted with a wild flower mix.

• converting the previous two lane southbound carriageway into a new B road with as single lane in each direction

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• installing brand new drainage along the new route as well as totally resurfacing the re-arranged layout

• providing new junction layouts at Bucklow Hill/Chapel Lane and Mere junctions giving priority to the A5034 and A50 traffic

• installing a signalised Pegasus crossing, specifically designed to assist horse riders, at the junction between the green route and the A50 at Mere.

The route was formally 'detrunked' and handed over to Cheshire East Council on Monday, 06 November.

Highways England project manager Paul Hampson said: "This is a significant milestone for the Knutsford to Bowdon project – a result of our determination to deliver a lasting legacy for local people following the completion of the new dual carriageway in March.

"We would like to thank local people for their patience since March when the conversion work started in earnest. We hope they agree the new dedicated route for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders as well as the new single carriageway B road and new junction arrangements at Bucklow Hill and Mere have been well worth the wait."

(LM/MH)