Overnight closures on the M62 begin

Overnight closures on the M62 begin as the smart motorway scheme enters next stage

Overnight closures on the M62 begin tonight (Monday 17 November) as the next stage of a project to cut congestion and improve journey times begins.

The smart motorway scheme affects junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale.

Overnight closures will be in place for four nights, between 10pm and 5am, while contractors install narrow lanes.

The eastbound side of the M62 will close overnight between junctions 18 and 19 on Monday 17 November, and between junctions 19 and 20 on Tuesday 18 November.

The westbound side will then close overnight between junctions 20 and 19 on Wednesday 19 November, and between junctions 19 and 18 on Thursday 20 November.

Diversions will be in place when the motorway is closed, and access to Birch Services will also be affected by the closures.

A temporary 50mph speed limit, enforced by average speed cameras, is currently in place along the smart motorway route for the safety of road workers and motorists.

Stephen Greenhalgh, Project Manager at the Highways Agency, said: “Our teams have been working hard on the smart motorway project since July, with the majority of work taking place overnight so that we can keep all of the lanes open throughout the day.

“We’re now at a stage where we can begin the main construction work and so need to introduce narrow lanes on a five-mile stretch of the M62 for the safety of our workforce.

“We’d like to thank road users for their patience so far and would encourage them to continue to drive carefully through the road works.”