Weeks of roadworks misery ahead for M6 drivers
Sixteen weeks of roadworks that will see a stretch of M6 closed at night were today unveiled, as part of a £126.4 million congestion-busting project.
Work is taking place to open up the hard shoulder on the M6 between junctions five at Castle Bromwich and junction eight for the M5.
Once the work is completed as part of the Managed Motorways project, drivers will be able to use the hard shoulder during periods of heavy congestion.
And now the Highways Agency has announced overnight closures between September and December to enable work to resurface the carriageway as well as the installation of gantry mounted signs, CCTV cameras and vehicle detection loops.
The work has been planned to run for 16 weeks until the third week of December – finishing ahead of the Christmas and New Year bank holiday period.
The closures will be in place on both the northbound and southbound carriageways, but bosses said work would be limited to one direction at a time where possible.
Complete closures in both directions will be required but have been programmed to take place at weekends when traffic levels are lighter and when it is likely to have less impact on road users.
Closures on Friday and Saturday nights will be implemented from as early as 10pm, if traffic flows are low enough, through to 8am the following day.
Closures from Monday to Thursday nights will be start from as early as 10pm, if traffic flows are low enough, through to 5.30am the following day.
Rob Edwards, project manager for the scheme, said: "Using overnight closures minimises disruption to the public, while at the same time giving us full access to the motorway. It means we can remove and then install the gantries and overhead signs as quickly and efficiently as possible, while resurfacing the road at the same time.
"The resurfaced road will provide a longer period before further intervention is required for maintenance."
People can find out more about the closures and diversions on the Highways Agency website.
