The M53 southbound shuts at Eastham Viaduct 8pm to 6am from Monday 5 October and the Kingsway tunnel drops to one lane. Queensway shuts fully from 12 October.
The M53 southbound is the one to plan around this week. It shuts at Eastham Viaduct, between junctions 4 and 5, from 8pm to 6am on the nights of Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October. National Highways’ scheme page books the block to Friday 9 October (7 day closure report, National Highways; M53 bridges, National Highways).
The same four nights, the Kingsway tunnel runs as a contraflow with one lane open in each direction, from 9pm to 6am (Mersey tunnel planned works, Merseytravel).
The Moreton closure that ran for seven weeknights in late September has gone. Nothing is booked there on the current report.
Also coming:
- Tonight, Sunday 4 October: the M53 southbound shuts between junctions 3 and 4, 9pm to 5am
- Tuesday 6 October: the M53 southbound junction 2 entry slip at Upton shuts, 9pm to 6am
- Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October: the Queensway tunnel closes completely, 9pm to 6.30am
- Sundays 11 and 18 October: Wirral Line trains terminate at James Street
Here is what is shut, night by night, with the trains, the ferry and the tolls.
M53 roadworks: every closure, junction by junction
This is every M53 closure on National Highways’ seven-day closure report (issued 2 October 2026 at 15:30, covering Friday 2 to Thursday 8 October), plus the dated closures National Highways has published on its M53 scheme pages. Every closure on this week’s report is overnight; nothing on the M53 is booked to shut in the daytime.
| Where | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Southbound, junctions 3 to 4, with the junction 3 entry slip and junction 4 exit slip | 9pm Sun 4 October to 5am Mon 5 October | General maintenance |
| Southbound, junctions 4 to 5 (Eastham Viaduct), with the junction 4 entry slip and junction 5 exit slip | 8pm to 6am, Mon 5 to Thu 8 October on the report; the scheme page runs the block to Fri 9 October | Bridge joint repairs. Signed diversion |
| Southbound entry slip at junction 2 (Upton) | 9pm to 6am, Tue 6 October only | Permanent barrier work for National Highways |
| Northbound, junctions 10 to 7, with the junction 8, 9 and 10 slips | 8pm to 6am, Mon 5 to Thu 8 October | Carriageway reconstruction, junctions 7 to 9 (Ellesmere Port, Cheshire West) |
| Both directions, junctions 2 to 3 (Upton Road bridge) | Scheme starts early November 2026; four full weekend closures, 9pm Friday to 5am Monday, not yet dated | Bridge replacement, running to winter 2027 |
National Highways issues the report on weekday afternoons and may replace it before Thursday. The detail on each job is below.
Eastham Viaduct: the last southbound block
Each night from Monday to Thursday, the report shuts three things from 8pm to 6am:
- the M53 southbound carriageway between junctions 4 and 5
- the junction 4 entry slip at Clatterbridge
- the junction 5 exit slip at Eastham
National Highways’ scheme page lists this as the southbound carriageway’s final block, Monday 5 to Friday 9 October, with a signed diversion. The current report stops at Thursday, so the Friday night is the scheme page’s date, not yet the report’s.
The page also says the job is moving into its final phase: full resurfacing and replacement of the remaining expansion joints. It still contradicts itself on the end date. The summary says the Eastham work runs “from 18 May to September 2026”, while the heading below says “Monday 18 May to October 2026”.
Driving south late from Birkenhead or Bebington to Eastham, Ellesmere Port or Chester, the A41 New Chester Road is the road that shadows the motorway.
Tonight, Sunday 4 October, there is a separate closure one junction further north. The southbound carriageway between junctions 3 and 4 shuts from 9pm to 5am, with the junction 3 entry slip and junction 4 exit slip. The report gives the reason as general maintenance.
The other bridges in the £50 million M53 programme, Clatterbridge north and south at junction 4 and Raby Hall west of Bromborough, still have no dates.
Kingsway tunnel: one lane each way for four nights
The contraflow runs over these nights, each from 9pm to 6am:
- Monday 5 into Tuesday 6 October
- Tuesday 6 into Wednesday 7 October
- Wednesday 7 into Thursday 8 October
- Thursday 8 into Friday 9 October
Merseytravel describes it as essential maintenance and notes the closures “may be subject to change”. It is the second Kingsway contraflow in a fortnight, after the same pattern from 28 September to 1 October.
The Queensway (Birkenhead) tunnel has nothing booked this week, so it is the fuller crossing on those nights. Its next full closure is still listed:
- Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October, from 9pm to 6.30am each night, with the tunnel reopening at 6.30am on Friday 16 October
On those four nights the Kingsway becomes the only road crossing to Liverpool.
Upton: a slip closure now, the bridge in November
On Tuesday 6 October only, the M53 southbound junction 2 entry slip is shut from 9pm to 6am. The report lists it as permanent barrier work for National Highways.
The bigger job at Upton has not moved since National Highways’ update of 24 September (M53 Upton Road bridge, National Highways):
- utility diversions are “progressing well”
- the scheme itself starts in early November 2026
- the first work is on the M53 beneath the bridge and around junction 2, where the new bridge deck will be built
- demolition of the first existing deck is forecast for early 2027
The demolition is what brings the big closures. The same page says the main works need four full weekend closures of the M53 in both directions between junctions 2 and 3, from 9pm Friday to 5am Monday, two for demolition and two for construction. Lower down, the page still says the first of those was expected “in Autumn”. Read with the 24 September update, the first demolition weekend now looks like a 2027 event.
The bridge carries Upton Road over the motorway between Upton and Prenton. It is being rebuilt one half at a time. While each half is closed, the open half carries only pedestrians, emergency services and public transport. The job runs to winter 2027.
Moreton: nothing booked
The M53 westbound closure between the junction 2a exit slip and Moreton Road ran on seven weeknights from 21 to 30 September. It was recorded as local highway authority works on behalf of Wirral Borough Council. The current report, running to Thursday 8 October, has nothing at Moreton.
The Ellesmere Port end
These closures are not on Wirral. They are in Cheshire West and Chester, roughly ten miles south of Bromborough, but they matter if you drive to Chester or the M56.
- Tonight, Sunday 4 October, 9pm to 5am: both M56 westbound link roads onto the M53, northbound and southbound, for National Highways’ M56 junctions 14 to 16 resurfacing
- Monday to Thursday, 8pm to 6am: the M53 northbound between junctions 10 and 7, with the junction 8, 9 and 10 slips, and the M56 westbound to M53 northbound link road
Coming home to Wirral from Chester or the M56 late on a weeknight, expect a diversion before you reach Ellesmere Port.
M57 at Tarbuck Island: both slips still shut
This is in Knowsley, on the Liverpool side of the river, but plenty of Wirral drivers use it to reach the M62.
- M57 northbound junction 1 entry slip, closed until 6am on Wednesday 28 October 2026, for off-network works
- M57 southbound junction 1 exit slip to Tarbuck Island, closed since 27 May 2025 for Knowsley Council works, booked until 31 January 2027
Trains: all four Wirral branches running
Chester, Ellesmere Port, West Kirby and New Brighton were all showing a good service when we checked on Sunday 4 October (service updates, Merseyrail).
The autumn timetable is in force on the Chester and Ellesmere Port lines, since Sunday 20 September. Trains from stations between Chester or Ellesmere Port and Birkenhead Central run at different times and may take up to five minutes longer. The West Kirby and New Brighton lines are unchanged (autumn timetable change, Merseyrail).
From next Sunday, 11 October, four Sundays hit the Wirral Line. Merseyrail is strengthening and waterproofing four tunnels on its Northern Line in Liverpool from Sunday 11 October to Friday 6 November, with services back to normal on Saturday 7 November.
- Sunday 11 and Sunday 18 October: Wirral Line trains terminate at James Street. No services call at Moorfields, Lime Street or Liverpool Central
- Sunday 25 October and Sunday 1 November: replacement buses run Birkenhead North to Moorfields and Rock Ferry to Moorfields. Trains run only Chester and Ellesmere Port to Rock Ferry, and West Kirby and New Brighton to Birkenhead North
- Monday to Saturday through those four weeks, the Wirral Line is unaffected (tunnel upgrade works, Merseyrail)
If you need step-free access on the two James Street Sundays, note that New Brighton and Ellesmere Port services use Platform 2, which has no lift. Merseyrail’s advice is to travel to Hamilton Square and change there for a Chester or West Kirby service. An accessible bus runs every 30 minutes between Hamilton Square and Moorfields.
Bikes are never carried on Merseyrail’s replacement buses, and from 1 January 2027 e-bikes are banned from its trains and stations. Read what the e-bike ban covers.
Full times, fares and station-by-station journey lengths are on our Wirral train times page.
Ferries: a normal week
The direct cross-river ferry runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and takes 10 minutes. Sailings leave Seacombe from 07:20 to 09:40 in the morning and 17:10 to 18:30 in the evening. From Liverpool Gerry Marsden (Pier Head) they leave 07:30 to 09:30 and 17:00 to 18:40. Mersey Ferries lists no cancellations after Thursday 1 October (direct cross-river service, Mersey Ferries).
Fares are £3.10 single and £4.20 return for an adult, £1.60 and £2.10 for a child aged 5 to 18, £11.50 for a six-journey Flexi, £16.50 for ten journeys and £68 for a month. Flexi, monthly and quarterly ticket holders park free in the rear car park at Seacombe. The terminals take contactless only.
Woodside still has no sailings. It appears as an empty row on the operator’s own timetable and is not listed on its Find Us page.
The new £26m Royal Daffodil made its maiden voyage on Tuesday 22 September, but it does not carry commuters yet. Read what we found about when it enters service.
What it costs to cross the river
Tunnel tolls have been at these rates since 1 April 2026, and we re-checked them on 4 October:
| Vehicle | Cash or card | T-FLOW | Liverpool City Region resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (car) | £2.40 | £2.40 | £1.60 |
| Class 2 | £4.80 | £4.00 | £4.00 |
| Class 3 | £7.20 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| Class 4 | £9.60 | £8.00 | £8.00 |
The £1.60 resident rate is the one most Wirral drivers should be on. It needs:
- a pre-paid T-FLOW account
- a Class 1 vehicle
- an address in one of the six Liverpool City Region boroughs: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral
- journeys that are not for business
That is 80p a crossing saved, which on a five-day commute is over £400 a year. Merseytravel does not give change at the booths, so use the AUTO lanes with the exact coins or contactless. Police escorts for over-height or over-width vehicles cost £25 for one lane and £57 for two. Unpaid tolls or escort fees pick up a £16 admin charge after 14 days (tolls, fees and charges, Merseytravel).
What it means for you
- Tonight, Sunday, from 9pm: you cannot drive the M53 southbound between junctions 3 and 4, and the M56 westbound links onto the M53 are shut.
- Monday to Thursday nights, from 8pm: the M53 southbound is shut at Eastham Viaduct, junctions 4 to 5. Use the A41.
- Monday to Thursday nights, from 9pm: the Kingsway tunnel is down to one lane each way. The Queensway is running normally.
- Tuesday night only: you cannot join the M53 southbound at junction 2.
- Friday 9 October: check the report before setting off south late; the scheme page still books Eastham that night.
- Diarise 12 to 15 October: the Queensway tunnel shuts completely from 9pm each night.
- Sundays 11 and 18 October: Wirral Line trains stop at James Street.
Where to check what is actually closed today
Wirral Council does not publish its own roadworks list. Its current and planned roadworks page points at one.network, which carries live and planned works across the borough on a map, including utility works the council did not order. You can subscribe there to email alerts for emergency closures and unplanned works: click the envelope icon at the top left and choose Sign Up. For live motorway conditions on the M53, the council points to Traffic England.
The routes that matter when something shuts
Wirral has an unusual road geography. It is a peninsula with water on three sides, so there are only a handful of ways on and off it. Closing one pushes everything onto the others.
- The M53 is the spine. It runs from Bidston in the north down the middle of the peninsula to Ellesmere Port and the M56. When it closes between junctions, there is no parallel motorway.
- The two tunnels are the only road crossings to Liverpool. Queensway comes out at Birkenhead, Kingsway at Wallasey and connects directly to the M53.
- The A41 New Chester Road shadows the M53 down the east bank through Rock Ferry, Bromborough and Eastham. It is the standard diversion when the motorway shuts south of Birkenhead.
- The A540 Telegraph Road runs down the west coast from Hoylake through Heswall towards Neston, and is the alternative for the Dee side.
- The A553 and A554 carry traffic across the north of the peninsula between Wallasey, Birkenhead and the Kingsway approach.
If a closure lands while you are parked in town, our parking in Wirral guide has the council car parks and what they cost.
Common questions
Is the M53 closed at Eastham this week?
Yes, southbound only. The carriageway between junctions 4 and 5 is shut from 8pm to 6am on the nights of Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October, with the junction 4 entry slip and junction 5 exit slip. National Highways’ scheme page runs the block to Friday 9 October. There is a signed diversion.
Is the Kingsway tunnel closed this week?
No, but it is narrowed. From 9pm to 6am on the nights of Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October, it runs as a contraflow with one lane open in each direction.
When is the Queensway tunnel next closed?
On four nights from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October, from 9pm to 6.30am. It is a full closure, so the Kingsway is the only road crossing on those nights.
Is the M53 still closed at Moreton?
No. The westbound closure at Moreton ran on seven weeknights between 21 and 30 September. Nothing is booked there on National Highways’ current report, which runs to Thursday 8 October.
When do the Upton Road bridge closures start?
National Highways says the scheme starts in early November 2026, with the first deck demolition forecast for early 2027. The four full weekend closures of the M53 between junctions 2 and 3 are tied to the demolition and construction, and no dates have been published for them yet.
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