Barriers are being installed along the underside of the Mancunian Way to prevent persistent dangerous parking.
For a number of months motorists have been using the land directly underneath the motorway to park for free, rather than using dedicated car parks in the city centre.
Drivers entering and exiting the area to park posed a clear risk to other road users due to the obstruction caused to the carriageway, on top of the damage being caused to recently completed landscaping work.
As dangerous and frustrating as this situation was, a legal technicality prevented Manchester City Council’s enforcement officers from issuing fines to these motorists.
The Mancunian Way overpass and the land underneath it is managed by Highways England and is not part of the City Council’s adopted road network.
This meant that a Traffic Regulation Order could not legally be issued, nor could officers fine offenders.
However, the Council was determined to prevent this behaviour continuing and since it first came to light has been working to secure funding for a permanent solution.
At 5am on Wednesday, September 15, work will begin to install metal barriers along the length of the route, closing it off to any drivers attempting to park on it.
This temporary measure will be followed up in several weeks time when a permanent wooden rail will be installed.
The Council will be working with Greater Manchester Police during this period to prevent any further breach of this new perimeter fencing.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, said: “People taking it upon themselves to park under the Mancunian Way were posing a serious threat to other road users and this was something we could not allow to keep happening.
“The road is fast moving and leads into other major routes in and out of the city and frankly, it is amazing that a serious accident has not taken place as a result.
“A lot of money has been wasted to rectify damage caused to the landscaping areas, and even more will now be spent to close this area off permanently.
“There are thousands of other car parking spaces in the city centre which I would encourage drivers to use, or, for those who are able, walk, cycle or take advantage of public transport links which run in and out of Manchester.”