Merseyside road closures: Six to avoid this Christmas as amber traffic warning issued - M53, M58 and M62

The AA has issued a series of Amber Traffic Warnings this festive season with millions of drivers expected to clog up the UK’s roads as they head home for Christmas.

Saturday 23 December is expected to be the busiest day for holiday travel with 16.4 million trips planned. Friday 22 December is the second busiest, with 16.1 million commuters expected on the roads.

The AA has announced Amber Traffic Warnings for both days as motorists face lengthy jams at traffic hotspots and unsettled weather is expected to affect driving conditions.

On top of the extra influx of traffic, drivers in Merseyside will also have a number of road closures to contend with over the Christmas and New Year period, including key motorways and A roads. National Highways has revealed a list of six closures planned in the region over the next fortnight, which could cause delays.

The latest expected works list, with notes from National Highways, shows that three closures already in place are expected to carry on:

• M53, from 9pm December 17 to 5am December 19, slight delays (under 10 minutes): M53 both directions J4 to J5 - lane closure for inspection/survey.
• M62, from 10pm December 14 to 5am December 20, slight delays (under 10 minutes): M62 eastbound and westbound, jct six signs.
• A580, from 9pm June 8 to 6am December 31, moderate delays (10-30 minutes): M6 Haydock Island footpath closures due to improvement works.

And a further three closures will begin over the next two weeks:

• M58, from 9pm December 27 to 5am December 29, slight delays (under 10 minutes): M58 eastbound, Switch to J1 - lane closure for barriers - permanent on behalf of National Highways.
• M62, from 9pm December 21 to 5am December 23, slight delays (under 10 minutes): M62 both directions six to 7 - lane closure for barriers - temporary.
• M62, from 9pm December 27 to 5am December 28, slight delays (under 10 minutes): M62 both directions, junction 8 to junction 7 - lane closure for barrier/fence safety repairs on behalf of National Highways.

National Highways is responsible for maintaining motorways and major A-roads, so closures of smaller roads will not be included in their schedule.