A5103 road
Encyclopedia
The A5103 is a major road
in England
. It runs from Piccadilly Gardens
in Manchester city centre
to junction 3 of the M56 motorway
and is one of Manchester's principal radial routes.
with the A34 (Oxford Street) running west until St Peter's Square. After St Peter's Square, it proceeds south-west along Lower Mosley Street
, running past the G-MEX centre
(formerly Manchester Central Station), and the Bridgewater Hall
. It then turns south along Albion Street and Medlock Street (crossing the Rochdale Canal
, the railway viaduct, and the River Medlock
), where it meets the A57(M) Mancunian Way
at a roundabout.
primary route leading in a southerly direction. The entire section is officially called Princess Road, but many locals refer to it as Princess Parkway (see below). This section has a 40 mph (17.9 m/s) speed limit.
The road runs through Hulme
, Moss Side
and Whalley Range, passing William Hulme Grammar School, Whalley Range High School and Southern Cemetery
on the way.
This section has many traffic light
controlled junctions, including major junctions with the A6010 Manchester middle ring road and A5145 Barlow Moor Road. 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of its junction with the A5145, the road crosses the River Mersey
and meets the M60 motorway
at a large free-flow interchange
at junction 5.
trunk road
, and is an important link between the M60 Manchester Outer Ring road
and the M56 motorway
. This section is called Princess Parkway and largely has a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) speed limit. Between the M56 and M60, the road has two intermediate junctions; with the B5166 towards Northenden
and Sale Moor, and with the A560
leading to Gatley
, Wythenshawe
and Baguley
. Between junctions, the A5103 here has four lanes in each direction with no hard shoulder
. Between the on-and-off sliproads
of the junctions, it has 3-lanes in each direction with hard shoulder. At the southern end, the A5103 seamlessly becomes the mainline of the M56 heading towards Manchester Airport, Chester
and the M6 motorway
. Northbound traffic on the M56 must leave the mainline of the motorway at a sliproad to remain on the M56. Remaining on the mainline leads directly to the A5103.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It runs from Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street and on the edge of the Northern Quarter...
in Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
to junction 3 of the M56 motorway
M56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
and is one of Manchester's principal radial routes.
A6 to the A57(M) motorway (Mancunian Way)
This short section is entirely single-carriageway: it runs in roughly a north-south direction from the junction of the A6 and A62 along Portland Street. It then shares a short sectionConcurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with the A34 (Oxford Street) running west until St Peter's Square. After St Peter's Square, it proceeds south-west along Lower Mosley Street
Mosley Street
Mosley Street is a street in Manchester, [England. It runs between its junction with Piccadilly and Market Street and St. Peter's Square. Beyond St Peter's Square it becomes Lower Mosley Street....
, running past the G-MEX centre
G-Mex
Manchester Central, , formerly known as the GMEX centre and Manchester International Conference Centre , is an exhibition and conference centre built in and around the former Manchester Central railway station in Manchester, North West England...
(formerly Manchester Central Station), and the Bridgewater Hall
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....
. It then turns south along Albion Street and Medlock Street (crossing the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
, the railway viaduct, and the River Medlock
River Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
), where it meets the A57(M) Mancunian Way
A57(M) motorway
The Mancunian Way, officially the A57, is a two mile long motorway in Manchester, England. It is part of the A57, which runs east-west through Greater Manchester and links the M602 and M67 motorways.-Route:...
at a roundabout.
Princess Road (A57(M) motorway to the M60 motorway)
This section is entirely dual carriagewayDual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
primary route leading in a southerly direction. The entire section is officially called Princess Road, but many locals refer to it as Princess Parkway (see below). This section has a 40 mph (17.9 m/s) speed limit.
The road runs through Hulme
Hulme
Hulme is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. Located immediately south of Manchester city centre, it is an area with significant industrial heritage....
, Moss Side
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre and has a population of around 17,537...
and Whalley Range, passing William Hulme Grammar School, Whalley Range High School and Southern Cemetery
Southern Cemetery, Manchester
Southern Cemetery, Manchester is a large municipal cemetery in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Greater Manchester, England, three miles south of Manchester city centre: it was opened in 1879...
on the way.
This section has many traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
controlled junctions, including major junctions with the A6010 Manchester middle ring road and A5145 Barlow Moor Road. 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of its junction with the A5145, the road crosses the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and meets the M60 motorway
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
at a large free-flow interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
at junction 5.
Princess Parkway (M60 motorway to the M56 motorway)
This section is entirely dual carriagewayDual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
, and is an important link between the M60 Manchester Outer Ring road
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
and the M56 motorway
M56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
. This section is called Princess Parkway and largely has a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) speed limit. Between the M56 and M60, the road has two intermediate junctions; with the B5166 towards Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
and Sale Moor, and with the A560
A560 road
The A560 is a primary route that runs from the A56 in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, to Hattersley, Tameside following a complex route that involves Primary Route, non-primary route, single and dual carriage way, some complex motorway junctions and, at one point, carriageways running on both...
leading to Gatley
Gatley
Gatley is a suburban area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England.-Toponymy:In 1290, Gatley was known as Gateclyve, which in Old English means "a place where goats are kept".-Early history:...
, Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
and Baguley
Baguley
Baguley is a locality in Wythenshawe, and an electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England.Historically within Cheshire, the town is mentioned as Bagelei in the Domesday Book of 1086.-History:...
. Between junctions, the A5103 here has four lanes in each direction with no hard shoulder
Shoulder (road)
A hard shoulder, or simply shoulder, is a reserved area by the verge of a road or motorway. Generally it is kept clear of motor vehicle traffic...
. Between the on-and-off sliproads
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
of the junctions, it has 3-lanes in each direction with hard shoulder. At the southern end, the A5103 seamlessly becomes the mainline of the M56 heading towards Manchester Airport, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
. Northbound traffic on the M56 must leave the mainline of the motorway at a sliproad to remain on the M56. Remaining on the mainline leads directly to the A5103.