Poynton centre gets three-way lights and a London Road South closure 5 to 9 October; Wilmslow cycleway works start 5 October. The A54 is shut to 30 October.

Poynton village centre gets three-way lights and a London Road South closure from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October. The same Monday, Manchester Road between Wilmslow and Handforth starts five months of cycleway works. Repairs to the A537 Chelford Road bridge at Nether Alderley, closed 9am to 4pm since Monday 28 September, were due to take five days; the council had not marked them finished when we checked on 2 October. Reeds Bridge on the B5470 Macclesfield Road is next: it closes completely for about 21 days from Monday 2 November, and stays on one lane under temporary lights until then.

On the railway, the West Coast main line is shut between Rugby and Stafford on the weekend of 10 and 11 October.

This page covers what is closed now, what is booked for the weeks ahead, and the practical detail that does not change: parking prices, the station and the buses.

Check today’s closures first

Cheshire East publishes a live map and table of current and upcoming roadworks, covering council and utility works, road closures and abnormal loads. The same page links through to one.network, where you can register for email alerts for a specific area. As everywhere, the map relies on utility firms keeping their entries current, so treat it as a strong guide rather than gospel.

This week: bridge repairs and the last micro surfacing

A537 Chelford Road bridge: repairs due to end

A collision damaged the bridge parapet on the A537 Chelford Road at Nether Alderley, and temporary concrete barriers have held it to a single lane under temporary signals since. The council confirmed on 28 September that the repairs started that day and will take five days to complete. The road is closed between 9am and 4pm, with a signed diversion; full diversion details are on one.network. Emergency access is kept, bin collections are not affected, and the council says local businesses stay open. It warns that bus services may run on different routes or timetables (Cheshire East, reviewed 28 September).

Five days from 28 September takes the work to Friday 2 October if it ran on weekdays only. The council’s page was unchanged when we checked on 2 October and has not said whether the five days include the weekend, so do not assume the road is back to normal until the barriers are gone.

What it means for you: if you use the A537 between Macclesfield and Chelford or the M6 in the daytime, check the council page or one.network before you set off, until the council confirms the repair is finished. Early and late journeys have been getting through on the single lane.

Micro surfacing: the closures are finished

Every road on our side of the borough in the council’s micro surfacing table is now marked complete. The follow-up visits still to come, all weather dependent, are (micro surfacing programme, reviewed 28 September):

  • Lacey Green, Wilmslow: ironworks to 29 September, then road markings 30 September and 1 October
  • Brocklehurst Avenue, Macclesfield: road markings 19 and 20 October
  • Bollingbrook Road, Macclesfield: road markings 23 October, and a new ironworks visit on 26 October
  • Peter Street, Macclesfield: road markings were due back on 28 September; ironworks 2 and 3 November
  • Henshall Road, Bollington: ironworks 4 to 10 November, no weekend working

Heybridge Lane in Prestbury and South West Avenue in Bollington have nothing further listed.

If a newly treated road looks uneven or the manhole covers sit low, that is expected: the ironworks visits are there to fix it, and the council asks you not to report it as a defect.

A54 to Buxton: closed until 30 October

Derbyshire County Council has closed a 2.8km stretch of the A54 between the A53 Leek Road junction and the junction with the A537 at the county border, the moorland section locally known as part of the Cat and Fiddle run, to rebuild the carriageway and put in new drainage. Phase 1 runs from 27 July to 30 October 2026, closed to all traffic, with a signed diversion via the A53, A523, A537 and A54. A second phase of about twelve weeks follows from around April 2027, reinforcing the earth banks that have been sliding onto the road (Derbyshire County Council scheme page).

The closure reshapes the bus network over the hill. High Peak’s route 58, the hourly Macclesfield to Buxton service over the Cat and Fiddle, is running via Long Hill and the B5470 through Rainow for the duration, on a revised timetable. Most journeys now run beyond Macclesfield bus station to serve the Black Road area. The 58 itself cannot serve Burbage while the road is shut, and High Peak now says the East Midlands Combined County Authority has contracted it to run a shuttle between Buxton and Burbage, the 58B, which loops Burbage and runs as far as Ladmanlow so the Leek Road stops are still served (High Peak Buses). Derbyshire also lists Centrebus service 60 between Buxton and Macclesfield as affected.

What it means for you: the Buxton run is longer than usual until the end of October, whichever way you make it. Allow extra time. If you rely on the 58, check the revised timetable rather than the one you know.

Reeds Bridge, B5470: full closure from 2 November

A collision caused “extensive damage” to the north parapet of Reeds Bridge on the B5470 Macclesfield Road. Temporary barriers have cut it to a single lane with two-way temporary lights, and those stay until the repair starts.

The council has now set a date. Repairs start on Monday 2 November 2026 and take approximately 21 days, under a full road closure with a signed diversion. It says bus companies are aware and services may change route or timetable, and that bin collections will run as normal using the diversion (Cheshire East, reviewed 23 September).

Worth knowing: the council’s page still does not say where on the B5470 the bridge sits. The B5470 Macclesfield Road is also the hill road the diverted 58 bus uses while the Cat and Fiddle is shut, although the A54 closure is due to end on 30 October, before this one starts. We could not pin the bridge down from any source we can read today, so check the diversion on one.network nearer the time.

Poynton: the village centre comes back in October

The Poynton Shared Space scheme has been rebuilding the village centre since 16 March. The council’s table now marks every resurfacing phase complete, including the phase 4a drainage work on London Road South (4 to 11 September).

The last phase has grown by a day since our previous check. Phase 4b, refreshing the road markings on the Fountain Place roundels and polishing the granite setts, now runs from 5 October to 9 October 2026 (it was 5 to 8 October), under three-way temporary traffic signals. London Road South will be closed while the Fountain Place work is carried out. The council says the closure will also let it co-ordinate with a utility company’s works, which will use the shared space as their diversion route (Cheshire East scheme page, reviewed 28 September).

Read that page yourself and you will find it still contradicts itself. The paragraph above the table says the resurfacing of London Road North, London Road South and Chester Road “will take place at a later date, when the utility works have been completed”. The table below marks all three complete, and the progress note further down says plainly: “We have completed the drainage and resurfacing works on Chester Road, London Road North and London Road South.” The council has not reconciled the two. The table and the progress note agree with each other, so they are the ones to believe.

What it means for you: five more days of disruption in the village centre, 5 to 9 October, and then the scheme should be done. Pedestrian and cycle access is kept throughout, but cyclists will be asked to dismount. Buses have run revised routes throughout, so check the operator before you travel.

Wilmslow to Handforth: Manchester Road works start 5 October

Cheshire East confirmed on 17 September that phase 2 of the Manchester Road active travel scheme starts on Monday 5 October and runs to spring 2027. The scheme, funded by Active Travel England, is building a 1.5-mile walking and cycling route between Wilmslow town centre and Handforth; phase 1 is finished and open.

Phase 2 includes:

  • an extension of the segregated two-way cycleway along Manchester Road
  • improvements to the Network Rail bridge to fit the new cycling infrastructure
  • cycle bypasses at two bus stops
  • two new zebra crossings, at Bluebell Way and Styal Road
  • footway improvements

The traffic management is the part worth diarising, because it runs for five months and ends in a full closure (project page, reviewed 14 September):

Work Dates Traffic management
Site set up 5 to 9 October 2026 None
Wilmslow Cemetery entrance 7 to 15 October 2026 Two-way signals, lane restrictions
Railway bridge and bus stops 16 and 17 October 2026 Two-way signals, lane restrictions
Bluebell Way junction 17 November to 16 December 2026 Three-way signals, lane restrictions
Manchester Road footpath repairs 16 and 17 December 2026 To be confirmed
Styal Road junction 18 December 2026 to 10 February 2027 Three-way signals, lane restrictions
Carriageway resurfacing and lining 11 February to 1 March 2027 Full closure, Stanneylands junction to Styal Road
Cycle lane kerb installation 2 to 31 March 2027 Two-way signals, lane restrictions

The council held a public engagement event at Wilmslow Library on 10 September. Cabinet member for highways and transport Councillor Mark Goldsmith said a separate cycle lane on each side of the road was “a common request”, but that “the environmental and financial cost for this is just too high”, because the road would have to be widened and that “would remove the mature beech trees that are a key part of the character of Manchester Road” (council statement, 17 September 2026).

Trains: Rugby to Stafford shut on 10 and 11 October

Nothing is booked on the Macclesfield to Manchester line for the next fortnight in National Rail’s list of planned engineering work, and nothing on it appears in the current list of unplanned disruption. The London line has three changes:

  • Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October: overnight work between Milton Keynes and Rugby means the 22:03 London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly and the 22:15 Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston are retimed and diverted via Northampton (National Rail).
  • Sunday 4 October, until about 11:50: Avanti trains are retimed around Rugby and do not run via Northampton (National Rail).
  • Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October: all lines are closed between Tamworth and Stafford, and no trains run between Rugby and Stafford via Nuneaton all weekend. Avanti cuts its London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly service to one train an hour, running via Birmingham New Street (National Rail).

What it means for you: a London trip on the weekend of 10 and 11 October will be slower and less frequent than usual, and National Rail’s notice does not say which stations the diverted trains call at. Late trains home on 29 September to 1 October also run to different times. Check the journey planner on the day. Where the trains go and what they cost is on our trains to London page.

The rest of the picture

  • Black Lane footbridge, Macclesfield: closed. The council shut the footbridge to pedestrians and cyclists after inspections found “full-depth cracking in the concrete deck, which shows signs of movement when crossed”. It will be replaced rather than patched: the outline design is finished, detailed design is under way, and the council expects to start manufacturing the bridge parts “shortly”. It has not yet confirmed when the replacement will be built, saying it is still reviewing funding and programme availability. A short signed diversion uses the next bridge to the south, which still gives access from Black Lane to the Middlewood Way (Cheshire East, reviewed 7 August).
  • Brook Lane, Alderley Edge: two-way lights on the bridge. Brookfield Bridge carries Brook Lane (the B5085) over Whitehall Brook, and the council has put in temporary two-way traffic lights “to remove vehicle loading from the edge of the carriageway” until it can be strengthened. “Unsuitable for HGVs” signs are up, and local businesses have been asked to route lorry deliveries elsewhere. Lining works, fitting a strengthening lining inside the existing arch, are due to start in late autumn 2026, when the traffic management becomes a mix of temporary lights and road closures (Cheshire East, reviewed 26 August). Most of the work happens under the bridge, so there will be little to see from the road.
  • Pickmere Lane, Pickmere: closed until further notice. The B5391 is shut where it crossed Waterless Brook. Inspections showed the arch was deteriorating and could collapse, so the bridge was taken down in a controlled demolition in April 2025 and United Utilities put in a temporary water main diversion. The site is closed to everything, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, and emergency access cannot be allowed. Ground investigations found artesian water, halite and old brine pumping under the site; specialist contractors are now gathering the information needed to choose a replacement option, and the council is aiming to start construction in summer 2027 (Cheshire East, reviewed 27 July). A signed diversion is in place. This one matters most if you drive between Knutsford and the Pickmere or Plumley side.
  • Congleton Road / Moss Lane junction, Macclesfield: works cancelled. The right-turn lane agreed with a housing developer back in 2017 will not now be built; the council said on 6 August 2026 that traffic assumptions had “changed significantly” over nine years, and it will take a financial contribution and review the junction afresh (council statement).
  • B5470 at Rainow: fully open. The embankment between Ginclough and Kettleshulme that collapsed in January 2025 has been rebuilt, with one-day inspections under temporary lights every three months, planned off-peak where possible (Cheshire East).
  • Brook Street riverside footpath: still closed. The path between Brook Street and Waterside by the River Bollin remains shut after a wall partially collapsed. Peaks & Plains Housing Trust owns the wall and is managing the rebuild. No reopening date has been published, and the council’s page on it has not been reviewed since 19 November 2024 (Cheshire East).
  • Surface dressing: mostly done, two sites postponed. The 2026 programme has been completed on the A537 and A523 at Gawsworth, the B5071 Pexhill Road and the A54 at Holmes Chapel. Remedial works remain postponed on the A6 Buxton Road West at Disley and on the A535 through Chelford (programme page).

Booked in: patching in Macclesfield, Wilmslow and the villages

The council runs a second, quieter programme that patches localised defects rather than resurfacing a whole road. Its page still says the programme “will run through to August 2026”, but the table was revised on 22 September and lists these roads on our side of the borough as still to do (micro surface patching programme):

  • September 2026: Ryles Park and West Bank Road, Macclesfield; Marbury Road, Wilmslow; Silver Street, Bollington; Hilton Road, Disley
  • September or October 2026: Castlegate, Prestbury; Meadow Lane, Disley

Only approximate months are published, not dates. Residents get a letter and “No Parking” signs go up before each closure.

Booked in: Chapel Lane, Wilmslow, in November

The council’s separate resurfacing programme, which starts borough-wide in October, has one entry on our side of the borough. Chapel Lane in Wilmslow, between Oak Lane and Alderley Road, is down for daytime work from 18 to 23 November, 8am to 5pm, followed by overnight work from 24 to 27 November, 7pm to 6am (resurfacing programme 2026, reviewed 28 September).

Chapel Lane now has its own page, and it gives a slightly longer window: Wednesday 18 November to Friday 28 November, with the daytime phase first and the overnight phase second, and any noisy work finished before 11pm. Businesses stay open with pedestrian access, and affected properties will get a letter beforehand (Chapel Lane scheme page, reviewed 28 September). Plan around the later date. Signed diversions will be in place, and the council asks for vehicles to be moved off the road before work starts.

For motorway and trunk-road works around the borough, check National Highways’ travel updates before a long trip.

What parking actually costs

Macclesfield’s council car parks sit in three price bands, and picking the right one roughly halves a full day: £4.20 for 14 hours at Duke Street, Jordangate or Whalley Hayes, £6.20 at Churchill Way, the Grosvenor or Pickford Street, and £8.80 at Gas Road or Waters Green nearest the station. Charges now run 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Kennedy Avenue and Princes Way are free, Duke Street is free after 3pm, and the Town Hall area opens free after 5pm on weekdays.

Every car park, tariff, permit price and the £70 penalty rules are set out on our parking in Macclesfield page.

The key routes, for orientation

  • A523 Silk Road: the north-south spine through town, Stockport one way, Leek the other.
  • A537: west to Chelford and the M6 (the Nether Alderley bridge has been closed 9am to 4pm for parapet repairs from 28 September), east over the moors to Buxton as the Cat and Fiddle road.
  • A34: the through-route on the western side, carrying Wilmslow, Handforth and Alderley Edge traffic.
  • A538: Prestbury to Wilmslow and on to the airport.
  • B5470: the hill road through Rainow to Whaley Bridge, currently doubling as the 58 bus diversion, with Reeds Bridge on lights until its full closure from 2 November.

The A537 Cat and Fiddle stretch earned a EuroRAP “most dangerous road in Britain” rating in 2008, and around 70% of its casualties between 2001 and 2015 were motorcyclists; a 50mph limit and average-speed cameras arrived in 2010 and it had dropped out of the danger top ten by 2015 (Cat and Fiddle Road, Wikipedia). It remains a road to respect in bad weather, and its summit is the second highest inn in England, at 1,690 feet.

Buses

Local town routes are run by D&G Bus, including the 19/19A to Prestbury via Upton Priory (D&G timetable), with High Peak running the 58 over the hill to Buxton (High Peak Buses). The demand-responsive go-too minibus service was extended borough-wide on 3 August. The free bus travel for children that Cheshire East offered ran through August only, and has now ended (council media hub). If the bus or car is taking you somewhere nice, our things to do page has the destinations.

Frequently asked questions

Which roads are closed in Macclesfield this week?

Poynton village centre has three-way lights and a London Road South closure from 5 to 9 October, and cycleway works start on Manchester Road between Wilmslow and Handforth on 5 October. The A54 towards Buxton stays closed until 30 October. The A537 Chelford Road bridge repairs at Nether Alderley, closed 9am to 4pm from 28 September, were due to take five days.

Why is the road to Buxton closed?

Derbyshire County Council is reconstructing 2.8km of the A54 between the A53 junction and the A537 at the county border. Phase 1 runs from 27 July to 30 October 2026 with a signed diversion via the A53, A523, A537 and A54; phase 2 follows from around April 2027.

Is the Cat and Fiddle bus still running?

Yes. The hourly High Peak 58 between Macclesfield and Buxton is diverted via Long Hill and the B5470 through Rainow on a revised timetable, with most journeys extended beyond Macclesfield bus station to the Black Road area. A separate 58B shuttle covers Burbage from Buxton while the A54 is shut.

Is Poynton village centre still closed?

The resurfacing is finished. The last phase, refreshing the Fountain Place roundel markings and polishing the granite setts, runs from 5 to 9 October under three-way signals, and London Road South closes while the Fountain Place work is done.

When will the A537 bridge at Nether Alderley be repaired?

Repairs started on Monday 28 September 2026 and should take five days, with the road closed between 9am and 4pm and a signed diversion in place.

When will Reeds Bridge on the B5470 be repaired?

Work starts on Monday 2 November 2026 and takes about 21 days under a full road closure. Until then the bridge stays on a single lane under temporary lights.

Where is the cheapest parking in Macclesfield?

Kennedy Avenue and Princes Way are free. Of the charged car parks, the standard band (Duke Street, Jordangate, Whalley Hayes and others) is 80p an hour and £4.20 for a 14-hour day, and Duke Street is free after 3pm. The Town Hall area is free to the public after 5pm on weekdays.

Where should I park for Macclesfield station?

The station’s own ANPR car park has only 64 spaces. The council’s long-stay station car park (SK11 6JP) is £13.20 a day; Waters Green, a short walk away, is £8.80 for 14 hours.

Where can I check live roadworks near me?

The council’s roadworks map shows current and planned works across Cheshire East, and you can set up email alerts for your area on one.network.

Sources

Roadworks dates move with weather and contractor progress. Details above were checked against the linked sources on 29 September 2026; always check the live map before a journey that matters.