Princess Parkway Interchange

Early design for the junction

Rejected 1990s option

Princess Parkway Interchange is junction 5 of the M60 and was junction 9 of the M63 when it opened in October 1974. The original design for the junction differed to what was eventually built but the movements remained the same. The right turn onto the A5103 south is perhaps not as severe on this early layout.

In the 1990s there were proposals to widen the M63 between this junction and Urmston. One of the rejected options moved the motorway onto a new alignment between here and Sale Interchange and the junction would have been completely rebuilt with the addition of north to west slip roads. This would have avoided the need for the Hardy Lane Extension.

Bus Lanes and Busways

It is often-quoted that the first motorway bus lane opened on the M4 Heathrow Spur. However, several bus lanes and busways were provided in this junction complex, and opened along with the rest of the junction.

In 1973, the M63 Sale Eastern and Northendon Bypass was under construction, but the construction of the junction with the A5103 Princess Parkway involved moving a bus stop. The footpath required to access it the new bus stop was provided. Unfortunately, objections came across the desk at the Ministry, as this bus stop was in the middle of the junction complex, quite a lot further away from the nearby housing than the original bus stop, and involved the use of a subway underneath the A5103 northbound to M63 westbound sliproad. It was upheld, and in November 1973, the a Variation Order was published, and design was changed to make the footbridge between the two parts of Yewtree Lane (just to the south of the junction) actually useable by 1970s standards at least, with better gradients for pedestrians included. As well as that, it was always within the junction design that it would be possible to later add a route for buses to go around the junction rather than through it along Princess Parkway; and it was decided to bring this forward.

A second Variation Order was published in April 1974 in order to add the new bus routes to the junction layout, and the notes read:

In making the M63 Sale Eastern and Northenden By Pass Motorway and Connecting Roads (Side Roads) Variation Order 1973, the Secretary of State announced that he would publish a second Variation Order providing for the re-routing of northbound buses around the perimeter of the Princess Parkway Interchange, which would enable the bus stop to be re-positioned at a site which did not involve subway access. This is the Order now published in draft for public comment.

The Order provides for the construction as part of the new bus route of two new lengths of all purpose highway. The County Engineer of the Greater Manchester County Council has agreed that he will ask his Council to agree to seek powers to restrict the use of the main carriageways of these new lengths of highway to public transport omnibuses.

This Order also provides for certain highways around the perimeter of the interchange which were referred to as cycle tracks in the 1970 Side Roads Order to be designated as roads. This is necessary because the County Engineer of the Greater Manchester County Council proposes, prior to the opening of the motorway, to ask his Council to seek powers to prohibit certain classes of traffic from using Princess Parkway at the interchange. In this event the new highways around the perimeter of the interchange, in addition to catering for pedal cyclists and pedestrians, would provide an alternative route for those classes of traffic excluded from using Princess Parkway.

The never-used pedestrian underpass

This appears to suggest that the bus lanes within the interchange are all-purpose rather than Special Roads, but this is not entirely correct. The southbound bus lane is marked through the start of motorway signage before diverging to the left around 200 yards later, becoming a route for buses, pedestrians and cyclists around the eastern side of the junction before again diverging with pedestrians and cyclists joining Kenworthy Lane, and buses joining the M60 eastbound to A5103 southbound sliproad, passing a further start of motorway sign as it does so.

Of the two busways on the western side of the junction, the northernmost simply leaves Willenhall Road with a No Vehicles sign, with an "Except buses" plate; it then joins the M60 westbound to A5103 northbound sliproad at give way markings, with a start of motorway restrictions sign. However, this shows that in all likelihood, this small busway is indeed a Special Road in its own right as spontaneous motorways were not common in the 1970s. Equally it should be noted that the signage does not actually restrict pedestrians from walking up the busway.

The southernmost busway is potentially the most interesting. It diverges from the A5103 northbound to M60 eastbound sliproad at the start of motorway sign, meaning that it is clearly signed as if it is non-motorway. However, according to the National Street Gazetteer, this busway is indeed a motorway up to the point it meets Willenhall Road.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M60	Ring Road (W & N), Liverpool (M62), Bolton (M61), Leeds (M62)
M60	Ring Road (N & E), Stockport, Sheffield, (M67)	No access between A5103 South, M60 East and v.v.
A5103	Manchester (C), Didsbury
A5103	Northenden, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester Airport, Chester (M56), Birmingham (M6)
M63	Stretford, Liverpool, Leeds (M62), Bolton (M61)
M63	Stockport, Sheffield (M67)
PP M'way	Manchester (C), Didsbury
PP M'way	Northenden, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester Airport, Chester (M56), Birmingham (M6)