A summary of planned road works in the North West region from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th January:
M53 Junction 3
A maintenance project to repair the two bridges which carry the junction roundabout over the motorway is underway with narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit. From this month, sections of the roundabout itself will be closed overnight occasionally to install narrow lanes and a 30mph speed limit, and – later this year – for resurfacing/re-waterproofing of the bridge decks. A 7.5 tonne weight restriction on the north bridge has also now begun with motorway diversions in place.
M53 Junctions 10 to 11 (Stanlow)
Maintenance work is taking place to replace lights and signs on overhead gantries between 9pm and 5am, Monday to Friday, and until 7am at weekends. The work requires some overnight closures, with clearly signed diversions in place. The scheme is due to be finished by the end of January.
M56 Junctions 2 to 5 (Wythenshawe to Manchester Airport)
Resurfacing is being carried out on the M56 between junctions 2 and 5. Lane and carriageway closures are in place overnight between 10pm and 5am, Monday to Friday, and some work will also be carried out at weekends. Clearly-signed diversions will be in place during carriageway closures.
M56 Junctions 14 to 16
Maintenance work is taking place to replace lights and signs on overhead gantries between 9pm and 5am, Monday to Friday, and until 7am at weekends. The work requires some overnight closures, with clearly signed diversions in place. The scheme is due to be finished by the end of January.
M66 Junctions 1 to 2 (Bury)
A project to deliver resurfacing, new drainage and new safety barriers along the northbound carriageway started in November. All the work will take place overnight – between 8pm and 5am – from Monday to Friday only. There will be nightly closures of the northbound carriageway for around two months. A clearly-signed diversion will be in place using the A58 and A56.
M6 Junctions 16 to 19 (Cheshire smart motorway)
Work is underway to upgrade the M6 to a smart motorway between Crewe and Knutsford, converting the hard shoulder to an extra lane and introducing new variable speed limits. Narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit are in place for the safety of drivers and workers.
M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 (Sale to Rochdale)
A major smart motorway scheme is taking place to cut congestion and improve journey times on parts of the M60 and the M62 in Greater Manchester. The scheme involves overnight slip road and carriageway closures, with narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit in place for the safety of drivers and road workers. Overnight closures will take place between 10pm and 6am, and drivers will be able to follow clearly-signed diversion routes.
A56 Accrington Bypass (Bent Gate to Edenfield)
Overnight work to install new lighting and safety barriers along the northbound and southbound carriageways is due to be completed this winter. The work is taking place between 8pm and 6am, Monday to Friday only. Some weekend and daytime working may be required later in the project. Some full carriageway closures may also be required with clearly-signed diversions in place.
A590 Pigwilly Wood to M6
Work to prepare the dual carriageway for carriageway reconstruction and resurfacing in the spring will start on Monday (8 January). A contraflow system is being installed. The preparation will require the closure of lane 2 of the dual carriageway in each direction until mid-February,
A66 North Stainmore
Work is taking place to resurface a half-a-mile section of the A66 between North Stainmore and Brough in Cumbria. Reflective road studs will also be replaced and road markings will be repainted. Most of the work will be done using single lane closures but some overnight closures of the westbound carriageway will be required on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Clearly-signed diversions will be in place.
A66 Keswick to Penrith
A 1.5 mile section of the A66 between Keswick and Penrith is being resurfaced in a 2 month scheme which starts on Thursday (11 January) and is due to be completed by Sunday 18 March. A temporary 40mph speed limit will be in place around the clock and temporary traffic lights will occasionally be needed during the day. Overnight work – between 7pm and 6am – will require a combination of temporary traffic lights and some overnight full carriageway closures which will be publicised in advance. Occasionally overnight, drivers may need to be held at the temporary traffic lights and led past the road works at 10mph by a contractor’s vehicle.
All planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.
All improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible.
Drivers looking for road works information (such as overnight carriageway closures) for individual schemes should now visit www.trafficengland.com. Some of the larger schemes have project pages giving other information. These can now be accessed from a dedicated regional page: http://roads.highways.gov.uk/north-west
