Lancashire residents driving to Manchester this weekend urged to plan ahead as city welcomes The Weeknd, Parklife, The Courteeners, Pink Floyd and Soccer Aid
Music and football lovers heading to events across Manchester are being encouraged to spend some extra time planning their journeys ahead of one of the busiest weekends of the summer.
National Highways is warning drivers congestion is likely around the local motorway network around Manchester at key times over the weekend with events including:
- Local heroes The Courteeners at Heaton Park on Friday night (9 June)
- The annual Parklife event, also at Heaton Park, throughout Saturday and Sunday (10 and 11 June)
- Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd at the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester on Saturday
- Former Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters at the AO Arena on Saturday
- Soccer Aid at Old Trafford on Sunday
Large numbers of people are also expected in the city centre on Saturday night with Manchester City’s Champions League Final with Inter Milan in Istanbul being screened in pubs, sports bars and Depot Mayfield.
Chris Chadwick, senior network planner for National Highways in the North West, said: “With our partners at Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester we have long-standing procedures in place to deal with traffic associated with events at Heaton Park and the annual Parklife festival.
“We’ve suspended some overnight roadworks and we’ll be working around the clock to monitor the motorway network with our CCTV cameras and clear any incidents as quickly as possible.
“It’s probably worth reminding people it’s illegal as well as a safety hazard to use the motorway to drop off or pick up concert goers, hitch a lift or take a short cut.
“Drivers and everyone else can help themselves by taking some time to plan their journeys to and away from these events and check for any congestion or incidents before setting off.”
National Highways is issuing its usual Parklife advice for motorway users, with congestion expected each night from around 9pm onwards, potentially into the early hours.
As in previous years, the exit slip roads at junction 19 of the M60 for Middleton/Heaton Park will be closed between 7pm and 2am on Saturday and Sunday.
All queueing traffic for the event will now be restricted to the clockwise exit slip road at Junction 20 at Blackley.
