National Highways has warned drivers to keep well away from the key M62 trans-Pennine route near Rochdale this weekend as the motorway faces another full closure.
The motorway was closed for a weekend earlier this month as Network Rail demolished Castleton Bridge between Junctions 19 and 20 and this weekend will see a repeat to allow Network Rail to complete bridge replacement work.
Between 9pm on Friday night (20 September) and 6am on Monday morning the M62 will be closed eastbound from Junction 18 at Simister Island interchange to Junction 20 at Rochdale and westbound between Junction 20 and Junction 19 at Heywood.
The motorway carries around 120,000 vehicles a day and is the country’s only trans-Pennine motorway linking Liverpool and Hull (with Leeds in between).
Gary Farrell, National Highways’ senior network planner (resilience), said: ‘During the first weekend closure we had significant if unsurprising congestion at times on the approaches to the closure along both the clockwise M60 and westbound M62 as well as the diversion routes.
‘This weekend, queues are likely again along the M60, M62 and diversion routes especially during the day and we strongly urge people planning to travel to delay their journeys or use alternative routes well away from this part of the motorway network.
'At the very least people should be checking for congestion or incidents before setting out and leaving extra time for journeys.’
The two weekend closures of the motorway are to allow the replacement of Castleton bridge – a near 60-year-old railway structure, which was successfully removed during the first closure.
National Highways said that some overnight lane closures along the M62 may be required after Monday to help Network Rail complete the project but these are unlikely to have a significant impact on motorway journeys.
3.5 hours now stuck on #a27 avoid at all costs @itvmeridian @bbcsoutheast @HighwaysSEAST this is a complete and utter shambles, no updates, no exits, no water no planning. Ambulances now attending members of the public who have been taken ill while in traffic #nowayout pic.twitter.com/uotlgS6llv
— Jackson-Stops Sevenoaks (@JSSevenoaks) September 14, 2024
Last weekend there were reported delays of nearly four hours for drivers in Hampshire after National Highways implemented a weekend closure of the westbound A27 between Havant and Emsworth to carry out bridge repair work.
One driver told ITV that ambulances had attended as car occupants became ill and another described the road as ‘like a car park’.
There will be a full closure of the eastbound carriageway from 9pm on Friday (20 September) to 6am on Monday.
National Highways announced the work, including the two weekend closures, in July.
