A6188
| A6188 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | Heaton Chapel (SJ881925) | |||
| To: | Shaw Heath (SJ896894) | |||
| Distance: | 4.7 km (2.9 miles) | |||
| Meets: | M60 • A6 • A560 • A626 • B6167 | |||
| Former Number(s): | A626 • B5465 | |||
| Primary Destinations | ||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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A6188 is in use in 2019 on certain Ordnance Survey mapping for a route to the east of Stockport Town Centre, formerly parts of A626 and B5465. Stockport Council are in the process of gradually updating traffic signs around the area to reflect this new change, so it is not a mapping error.
Route
Summary
The northernmost point of the road is at the junction between A6 Wellington Road and the former A626 Manchester Road in Heaton Chapel, where it heads roughly SSE via Tiviot Way to Portwood Junction. Following this, it continues to follow the former A626 via St. Mary's Way, before transitioning onto the former B5465 part of the same road and Hempshaw Lane, and finally terminating back on the A6.
Former A626 Section
The road begins as a limited access junction from the southbound A6 in the Stockport inner suburb of Heaton Chapel. Should any northbound A6 traffic wish to join the road at its top end then access to it is by the B5169 which crosses the A626 after 250 yards from its start point. However, since Northbound A6 traffic would have turned off a mile further down to join at the Tiviot Roundabout this is not a widely required turn and as such is not a problem.
The road continues through another set of traffic lights before reaching the Tiviot roundabout. Taking the second exit takes the road down Tiviot Way, which can get very busy at peak times due to its link to the M60 and has not been helped by the building of the Tesco Extra superstore and the extra set of lights that are present as a result. Half way down the hill the road crosses the River Tame, one of the two rivers that merge in Stockport to form the Mersey, and the long since closed Tiviot Dale railway line. The speed limit for this short section is 40mph.
At the bottom of the hill the large Portwood Roundabout is reached. This allows clockwise access only to the M60 at J27 (anticlockwise access requires travel up the A560 to the infamous junction 25) The B6104 (the old A560) can also be taken here along with the A560 through Stockport town centre.
Drivers have a choice at this point in the route to be taken to reach Glossop. They may take the longer A560, M60, M67 and A57 or the shorter but slower A560 and A57 to reach Glossop. Both these routes are, however, quicker than taking the A626, even with the bottleneck at on the A560 at Hattersley. Even if one was to take the A560, B6104 to rejoin the A626 in Marple Bridge this would still be quicker than the supposed direct road if a lot less scenic.
Continuing on over Portwood Roundabout the road makes a crossings of the River Goyt, shortly before its confluence with the Tame. The road climbs up out of the valley to a signalised crossroads with the A626.
Former B5465 Section
This is a continuation of St Marys Way and Hempshaw Lane.