09 July 2012
A series of overnight closures between junctions 27 and 28 of the M62 westbound, in West Yorkshire, begins tonight (9 July) to enable low-noise resurfacing work to take place.
The resurfacing, part of a planned maintenance programme, has been brought forward to minimise disruption by ensuring it takes place while the managed motorway construction is underway and not after it finishes in 2013/14.
Advancing the programme will mean J27 to J28 westbound will be closed overnight for two weeks, during week nights only, from today between 8pm and 6am. Signed diversion routes will be in operation during all closures.
Further closures are needed over for the next six months on both sides of the carriageway between J27 and J28 and later in the year between J25 and J26. The resurfacing will also include waterproofing bridge decks and upgrading slip roads.
To reduce the impact on road users, closures will all be overnight and timed to avoid major local events.
David Pilsworth, Highways Agency project manager, said:
"Bringing forward the maintenance work we know will be needed on the M62 in the foreseeable future makes total common sense. It will be more economical as we have contactors on site and traffic management in place. The low-noise surfacing will bring significant benefits to nearby residents, plus we are already putting down low-noise surfacing on the hard shoulder as part of the managed motorway scheme. We appreciate that motorists using the M62 have been used to a sustained period of road works over the last two years. The managed motorway scheme, once completed, will help to reduce congestion and deliver safer and more reliable journeys. Doing the resurfacing work now means they can benefit from these improvements sooner rather than later We will do what we can to keep disruption to a minimum. Weekend overnight closures of the M62 for the gantry work will continue - the next will be at Junction 27 on 14 July - and we will continue to alert road users in advance."
A total of 36 new overhead gantries - some weighing over 30 tonnes - are being installed along the new M62 managed motorway section. A further 16 existing gantries are being upgraded to take new signage. The gantries will house signs used to display variable speed limits to manage traffic flow and reduce congestion.
Further weekend overnight closures will be required on various sections of the M62 between junctions 25 (Brighouse) to 30 (Rothwell) until November. To support journey planning, information will be shared with road users in advance of each closure.
Work to convert the M62 to a managed motorway started in October. The scheme is scheduled to open to traffic in 2013-14.
Further information about the scheme can be found on the Highways Agency website at www.highways.gov.uk/m62yorkshiremm. Up to date traffic information is available by visiting www.highways.gov.uk/traffic, calling the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000, or you can follow us on Twitter: for information on roads in the North East and Yorkshire and The Humber follow us at @HAtraffic_yorks or @HAtraffic_neast or (for trans Pennine routes) @HAtraffic_pen9 or check out the full index at www.highways.gov.uk/twitter.
Autonomous cars are one of the big areas car manufacturers and high-tech companies such as Google are pouring vast sums of money, time and energy into. This is a future that many think holds the key to how and where the…
When I were a lad and it was all fields round here, I was lucky enough to have an ex-police driver trainer as my driving instructor. Not only did he teach the Highway Code, he also included some good old fashioned practical…
We all know the dangers of smoking to our health and that of others, which is why Jim Hume - the Liberal Democrat MSP for South of Scotland - wants to introduce a complete ban on smoking in cars in Scotland. Hume says his…
When it comes down to it, the only thing keeping you on the road are your car’s tyres. They are such a vital component, yet research shows that two-thirds of drivers don’t even know the minimum legal tread depth permitted.…
Citroen has just marked the 45th anniversary of its quirky Mehari fun car with a bespoke display at its chic design centre in the middle of Paris. While the Mehari may be more beach dunes than Champs-Elysées, it points up…