The M53 at junctions 4 to 5 and the Queensway tunnel both close overnight from Monday 10 August. Dates, diversions, tunnel tolls and the routes still open.
Two of Wirral’s three cross-river and cross-peninsula routes close overnight in the same week. From Monday 10 August 2026 the M53 shuts northbound between junctions 4 and 5, and the Queensway tunnel from Birkenhead shuts completely overnight for four nights. Neither closure is a surprise and both are published, but they land together, so this is the week to check before you set off after 9pm.
Below: what is closed and when, the diversions, and the evergreen bits worth bookmarking, tunnel tolls, station parking and where the council actually publishes live roadworks.
M53 Eastham Viaduct: overnight closures to 27 August
National Highways has been repairing the joints on Eastham Viaduct, the stretch of M53 between junctions 4 and 5, since Monday 18 May 2026. The work runs for around four months with 24-hour narrow lanes and a 50mph limit through the site.
The disruptive part starts now. Full carriageway closures are scheduled as:
- Northbound, junctions 4 to 5: Monday 10 August to Thursday 27 August, Monday to Friday, 9pm to 6am.
- Southbound, junctions 4 to 5: Tuesday 1 September to Tuesday 22 September, Monday to Friday, 9pm to 6am.
Signed diversions are in place; National Highways publishes the route maps on its M53 Bridges scheme page. If you use the Clatterbridge or Bebington junctions late at night, allow extra time for the diverted run through Eastham and Bromborough.
Upton Road bridge: the bigger one, from later this summer
Eastham Viaduct is the first of four. The M53 Bridges programme covers Eastham Viaduct, Upton Road bridge between junctions 2 and 3, and Clatterbridge north and south and Raby Hall bridge near junction 4. National Highways puts the whole programme at around £50 million and runs it from 18 May 2026 to 2029.
The one that will hurt most is Upton Road. The central span is being replaced, work starting summer 2026 and finishing by winter 2027. It needs four full weekend closures of the M53 in both directions between junctions 2 and 3, from Friday 9pm to Monday 5am, two for demolition and two for construction. The first is expected in autumn 2026.
Upton Road itself closes to general traffic while the bridge is rebuilt. While one half is being worked on, the other half stays open only to pedestrians, emergency services and public transport, so if you drive between Upton and Prenton across the motorway, plan for a long detour for most of a year. Utility diversions on the road began on 1 June 2026 (National Highways).
Queensway tunnel: four overnight closures from Monday
The Queensway (Birkenhead) tunnel closes completely for essential maintenance on four consecutive nights:
- 21:00 Monday 10 August to 06:30 Tuesday 11 August
- 21:00 Tuesday 11 August to 06:30 Wednesday 12 August
- 21:00 Wednesday 12 August to 06:30 Thursday 13 August
- 21:00 Thursday 13 August to 06:30 Friday 14 August
The Kingsway (Wallasey) tunnel has no contraflow restrictions during the same period, so it is the route to use overnight (Merseytravel). Merseytravel notes that closures can change at short notice.
What it costs to cross the river
Tunnel tolls have been at these rates since 1 April 2026:
| 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) and 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 (tolls, fees and charges).
Birkenhead town centre
Separate from the motorway works, Wirral Council has diversions running around parts of Birkenhead town centre while its regeneration programme is built out. The largest single site is Hind Street, the former gasworks east of the town centre, where remediation and infrastructure work is under way ahead of up to 1,600 homes. What is being built and when is set out on our Wirral planning page.
Where to check what is actually closed today
Wirral Council does not publish its own roadworks list. Its roadworks, closures and diversions page points straight 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 also subscribe there to email alerts for emergency closures: 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, and closing one pushes everything onto the others.
- The M53 is the spine. It runs from Bidston at junction 1 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 at junction 1.
- The A41 New Chester Road shadows the M53 down the east bank through Rock Ferry, Bromborough and Eastham, and 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 to the M53 for the Dee side.
- The A553 and A554 carry traffic across the north of the peninsula between Wallasey, Birkenhead and the Kingsway approach.
Station parking and the train alternative
The Wirral Line is the reliable option when the roads misbehave, because it does not use the tunnels or the motorway. Trains run four times an hour from West Kirby and New Brighton and six times an hour up the east bank from Hooton, reaching Liverpool Central in between nine and 32 minutes depending where you start. Full times, fares and station-by-station journey lengths are on our Wirral train times page.
Common questions
Is the M53 closed this week?
Northbound between junctions 4 and 5, yes, but only overnight: 9pm to 6am, Monday to Friday, from 10 to 27 August 2026. The motorway is open during the day, with narrow lanes and a 50mph limit through the Eastham Viaduct site.
Which Mersey tunnel is open tonight?
Kingsway, from Wallasey. Queensway from Birkenhead is closed from 21:00 to 06:30 on the nights of Monday 10 to Thursday 13 August 2026.
How much is the Mersey tunnel toll in 2026?
£2.40 for a car paying cash or card. Liverpool City Region residents with a pre-paid T-FLOW account pay £1.60 for non-business journeys.
Where can I see live Wirral roadworks?
On one.network, which is the map the council itself links to. It shows planned and in-progress works and closures, and you can sign up there for emergency-closure alerts.
How long will the M53 bridge works last?
The full programme runs from 18 May 2026 to 2029 and covers four structures. Eastham Viaduct is roughly four months from May. Upton Road bridge starts in summer 2026 and finishes by winter 2027.
Sources
- M53 Bridges, National Highways for the programme scope, cost, Eastham Viaduct dates and the overnight closure windows.
- M53 Upton Road bridge, National Highways for the span replacement, weekend closures and the Upton Road restrictions.
- Mersey Tunnel planned works, Merseytravel for the Queensway overnight closures and Kingsway contraflow status.
- Tolls, fees and charges, Merseytravel for tunnel tolls valid from 1 April 2026.
- Roadworks, closures and diversions, Wirral Council for where live works are published.
Closures change at short notice. Check one.network and the National Highways scheme pages on the day before relying on any of this.
Have your say
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