The M53 is an

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Wirral The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 321,238, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, ...

and Cheshire on the

Wirral Peninsula Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to ...

in England. It is also referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway. It runs between the

Kingsway Tunnel The Kingsway Tunnel (or Wallasey Tunnel) is a toll road tunnel under the River Mersey between Liverpool and Wallasey. The tunnel carries the A59. It was built because the Queensway Tunnel – which was built in the 1930s to carry vehicles ...

, at Wallasey in the north, and the A55 at Chester. The main reason for the motorway was to provide a through route to the new Mersey Road Tunnel, Kingsway, which was built at the same time. Part of this motorway was originally the M531.

Route

Starting at the northern end, the motorway starts in Wallasey at the exit slip roads from the Kingsway Tunnel from Liverpool. It loops round the north west of

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

and then runs south as a dual 3-lane route between Upton, Woodchurch in the west and

Prenton Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within ...

. From junctions 1 to 3 it runs parallel to the Borderlands railway line. It crosses this line south of junction 3. From this junction it proceeds south to the west of

Bebington Bebington () is a town and unparished area within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. ...

through junction 4 and then further south for (where it crosses the Wirral railway line), before narrowing to dual 2 lanes and turning sharply to the east. At junction 5, traffic for Wales can take the A41, A550 & A494 to join the A55 near

Ewloe Ewloe (; cy, Ewlo, ) is a village and electoral ward in the community of Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated close to the Flintshire/ Cheshire sector of the Wales-England border. The A55 expressway passes through Ewloe and its mos ...

. The road passes north and then east of Hooton, then to the east of

Overpool Overpool is a village on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire, England. It is a suburb of Ellesmere Port, and part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. History The name means "upper pool" and derives from the Old English words '' ...

and Wolverham and with

Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, south of Birkenhead, southwest of Runcorn and south of ...

to the west. South of junction 10 the route enters a more

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

setting, passing under the

M56 motorway The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Ches ...

at junction 11. Finally, it heads south and becomes the A55

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

Expressway at junction 12.

History

This motorway was originally two separate projects, the M53 and M531. The M53 was originally proposed to run from the

Backford Backford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated between Chester and Ellesmere Port on the A41 trunk road, to the north of the Shropshire Unio ...

. The M531 would have run from between the current junctions 4 & 5 and provided a connection with the M56 for eastbound travel. When the M53 was first planned in the early 1960s, it was designed as a route to connect the two

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

road tunnels with the A55 trunk road on the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

border, giving Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside a direct link with Chester and the towns on the

coast. In the event, the A55 link was never built and instead the M531 (by-passing the eastern side of Chester) was incorporated into the M53.

M531

The first section of the M531 was built to improve access to the

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. ...

near

. It was opened in 1968 as a non-designated road. Subsequently this road was extended further south to meet the A5117 and was designated as the M531. In March 1981 the M531 was lengthened to meet the M56 and at this stage the whole route was redesignated as the M53.

M53

Construction on the M53 started in 1969. It was to be built in stages as part of a strategic route to

for traffic from

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

. The route to North Wales was unresolved as there was even an option to run due west from south of junction 4 and cross the River Dee on a barrage. This first section from the tunnel to junction 5, where it connected straight into the Vauxhall Motors road, was opened by

Lord Leverhulme William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme , (, ; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Having been educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church school ...

in a ceremony at Hooton on 1 February 1972. A junction was partially built to allow extension of the motorway further south west, around west of junction 5. The unbuilt motorway would have provided a bypass of the A41 and would likely have terminated on the M56, though exactly where is unknown. The unfinished junction for this extension has now been demolished. The final section of the M53 provided a link to Chester from the M56 and was opened in 1982. No plans are known to exist to complete the originally planned M53.

Dates

* Junctions 1 to 5 were opened in 1972 * Junctions 5 to 8 were redesignated as motorway in 1974 as part of the M531 * Junctions 8 to 10 opened in 1975 as part of the M531 * Junctions 10 to 11 were opened in 1981 * Junctions 11 to 12 were opened in 1982

Junctions

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Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway

Road continues as'' Wallasey Tunnel ''towards

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

'' , rowspan=3, J1 ,

, New Brighton, Wallasey A5139 (A554)
''Non-motorway traffic'' , - align='center' , , ,

A5139 , ''Start of motorway'' UK motorway symbol

, - align='center' , , , Wallasey,

A554 , , - style="text-align:center;" , 6.5 , 10.5 ,

Hoylake Hoylake is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historically part of Cheshire, the Domesday ...

West Kirby West Kirby is a resort town on the north-west corner of the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, to the north-east lies Hoylake, to the east Grange ...

(A551) , J2 ,

(A551) , - align='center' , 8.6 , 13.8 ,

A552 , J3 ,

Heswall Heswall is a town on the Wirral, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was 16,012, including the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 it was part of the administr ...

A552 , - align='center' , 11.7 , 18.8 ,

Clatterbridge Clatterbridge is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is to the south-west of Bebington and close to the M53 motorway. Clatterbridge is also the name of a local government ward, which ...

A5137 , J4 ,

, Bromborough,

Neston Neston is a town and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, in Cheshire, England. It is part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. The village of Parkgate is located to the north west and the villages of Little Neston and Nes ...

A5137 , - align='center' , 15.8 , 25.4 ,

, Queensferry A41 , J5 ,

NORTH WALES North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

, Queensferry, Eastham A41 , - align='center' , rowspan=2 , 16.2 , rowspan=2 , 26.1 , style=background:skyblue , ''Entering

'' , rowspan=2 , J6 ,

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

(Cars Only), Eastham Oil Terminal , - align='center' ,

(Cars Only), Eastham Oil Terminal , style=background:skyblue , ''Entering Cheshire'' , - align='center' , 17.5 , 28.2 ,

, Whitby, North Road Industrial Estate B5132 , J7 ,

, Whitby, North Road Industrial Estate B5132 , - align='center' , 18.3 , 29.5 , Netherpool and Rossmore Industrial Estates, Docks , J8 , Netherpool and Rossmore Industrial Estates, Docks , - align='center' , 19.1 , 30.7 ,

(Centre), Boat Museum A5032 , J9 ,

(Centre), Stanlow, Boat Museum A5032 , - align='center' , 20.9 , 33.7 , Queensferry, Stanlow A5117 , J10 , Queensferry, Stanlow A5117 , - align='center' , 21.6 , 34.8 ,

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, (M6),

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

M56 , J11 ,

, (M6),

M56 , - align='center' , 24.5 , 39.5 , ''Start of motorway'' UK motorway symbol

, rowspan=2, J12 , Chester A56 , - align='center' , 24.9 , 40.1 , Chester,

Helsby Helsby is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Overlooking the Mersey estuary, it is approximately north east of Chester and south we ...

A56
''Non-motorway traffic'' , ''End of motorway Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway

Road continues as'' A55 ''towards

'' , - ! colspan=5 , Moreton Spur , - style="text-align:center;" , , , ''End of motorway'' Mauritius Road Signs - Information Sign - End of Motorway

A551 (B5139)

Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a p ...

A551,

(A553) , rowspan=2 , J2A
UK traffic sign 510

A551,

(A553) , - align='center' , , , Upton A551 , ''Start of motorway
(

Spur)''

Data from

driver location signs Driver location signs are signs placed every along each side of English motorways, and some other major English roads, to provide information that will allow motorists to know their precise location. , roads in England, but not Scotland, Wale ...

is used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. ;Notes

Traffic counts

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Section ! Capacity ! colspan=2 ,

AADT Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a ...

(2019) ! Count point data , - , J1-J2 , D3 , 77,684 ,
46040
, - , J2-J2A (Moreton Spur) , D2 , 43,788 ,
56042
, - , J2-J3 , rowspan=4 , D3 , 65,764 ,
6045
, - , J3-J4 , 70,602 ,
75457
, - , J4-J5 , 60,257 ,
16041
, - , J5-J6 , 73,717 ,
26063
, - , J6-J7 , rowspan=4 , D2 , 53,795 ,
46059
, - , J7-J8 , 71,378 ,
16060
, - , J8-J9 , 77,609 ,
36063
, - , J9-J10 , 66,522 ,
56062
, - , J10-J11 , D3 , 79,872 ,
27872
, - , J11-J12 , D2 , 69,147 ,
75190

M53 Divide

The M53 is seen as an east–west divide between the affluent and developing areas of the Wirral.

Culture

A full-sized replica of one of the motorway's bridges forms part of the exhibition ''O' Magic Power of Bleakness'' by

Mark Leckey Mark Leckey (born 1964) is a British contemporary artist. His found object art and video pieces, which incorporate themes of nostalgia and anxiety, and draw on elements of pop culture, span several works and exhibitions. In particular, he i ...

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

(September 2019 – January 2020).

References

External links

CBRD Motorway Database – M53/531

Legislation.gov.uk - M53

Pathetic Motorways – M531

The Motorway Archive – M53

{{DEFAULTSORT:M53 Motorway 5-0053 5-0053 5-0053