A £9 million overhaul of a bridge carrying tens of thousands of motorway users over a river in Cumbria every day will get underway at the end of the month.
National Highways will start work on the two-year project to refurbish the M6 bridge on Monday 31 March. The bridge, over the River Lowther, is between junction 39 and junction 40 of the motorway just south of Penrith.
The work, along the bridge deck and underneath it, includes concrete repairs to both the deck superstructure and substructure, full re-waterproofing and resurfacing and renewing the central reservation barrier. Bridge joints – mechanisms in the carriageway which allow the bridge to expand or contract in different weather conditions – will also be replaced.
The motorway will remain open at all times when the repairs are taking place with two lanes operating in both the southbound and northbound carriageway during the day and a lane open in each direction overnight.
A handful of overnight closures of either the northbound or southbound carriageway will be required when traffic management is being installed or removed.
National Highways project manager Sam Whitfield said:
“Lowther bridge is a vital part of the M6 infrastructure in this part of the motorway network and this significant maintenance and repair project will ensure it continues to serve motorway users for many years to come. If we do not act now, the risk is motorists will suffer from unplanned closures of the M6 and regular delays to journeys.
“While this is not a quick project we’re doing all we can to minimise any inconvenience to commuters, hauliers, holiday makers and other motorway users – including coordinating activities and sharing traffic management with Network Rail who’ll also be in the area working to replace nearby Clifton bridge over the next 18 months.”
During different phases of the project drivers will be able to use the hard shoulder and lane one, or lane two with lane three, to pass the roadworks. A 40mph speed limit with free recovery will be in place. The traffic management is being shared with Network Rail which is working to replace Clifton bridge – about ¾ mile south of Lowther bridge and which carries the important west coast mainline over the motorway.
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