£1.7 million M6 repairs will take one month to complete

Important repairs on bridges carrying the motorway over local roads in Lancashire will finally get underway next month.

The £1.7 million National Highways project will tackle recurring potholes in the motorway carriageways on Whittingham Lane and Stubbins Lane bridges between junction 32 and junction 33 of the motorway north of Preston.

The view of the M6 from Whittingham Lane

National Highways project manager Frank Jamieson said: “Given their location between junctions 32 and 33 we’ve taken the opportunity to do the two bridges at the same time – limiting the disruption of roadworks to motorway users.

“We will be closing carriageways for this work overnight or at weekends but there’s a very good diversion along the A6 between Broughton near junction 32 and Galgate at junction 33.”

The two bridge deck refurbishment schemes will include full re-waterproofing, concrete repairs and the replacement of bridge joints – mechanisms which allow the bridges to expand and contract safely during changes in the weather.

A new central reservation safety barrier will also be constructed on each bridge alongside new surfacing, white lining and road studs.

The month-long project starts on Wednesday, September 7 and will be completed in early October. In detail the planned closures include:

Full - 9pm to 5am – overnight closures of the northbound carriageway between junction 32 and junction 33 on Wednesday 7, Thursday 8 and Monday 26 September

Four consecutive weekend closures of the southbound carriageway between junction 33 to junction 32 from 9pm each Friday to 5am the following Monday from Friday, September 9.

Short sections of 9pm to 5am overnight lane closures along both the northbound and southbound carriageways in the vicinity of the bridges during the week.

A 50mph speed limit will be in place along short sections of the motorway in the vicinity of the two bridges.

More information about the project is available here.