New Heysham M6 Link opening date revealed

Heysham M6 Link Road builders Costain have revealed key dates for the completion of the project.
The Bay Gateway under constructionThe Bay Gateway under construction
The Bay Gateway under construction

The Bay Gateway is expected to be fully completed and open for traffic by mid-October with major routes associated with it set to re-open over the next few months.

Meanwhile, Torrisholme Road will close from Russell Drive to Barley Cop Lane this weekend between 8am on May 14 and 6pm on May 15 for bridge and iron works.

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Foundry Lane at Halton is expected to re-open by the end of June, with traffic able to use the new bridge.

One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.
One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.

Tony Crowley from Costain said the Lune West Bridge should be open by the end of “August-ish”.

He said: “We’ve got to create the link from Caton Road to the Lune West Bridge, and that means going right through the motorway slip road.

“However it’s at different heights.

“The plan is to close the on-slip over a weekend, rip out the road and then get it back in again so vehicles can get onto the motorway via the new slip road.

The Lune West Bridge in 2015The Lune West Bridge in 2015
The Lune West Bridge in 2015
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“The completion date for the entire project is looking like mid-October, but we’re hoping to get some drive behind it. However this of course is weather-dependent as it’s mostly surfacing works.

“We’re working nights on Caton Road and each night we’re closing the north bound on-slip road so vehicles need to get on at junction 35 at Carnforth.

“Once we’re done it’s going to look a whole lot different.”

The 4.8km link road will connect junction 34 of the M6 to the Heysham peninsular, and will include footpaths and cycle ways along the route.

One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.
One of the last sections of the Lune West Bridge being put into place on the Heysham to M6 link road.

Tony said the multi-use path currently diverted near the Lune West Bridge would be back in situ by mid-July.

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He said: “They’re currently working on the landscaping and part of the area will become a habitat creation area.

“We buried the existing footpath, so we just need to uncover that and put the lights back in.

“There will be access from the path onto the bridge and cyclists will be able to travel over the bridge via a new access path.

The Lune West Bridge in 2015The Lune West Bridge in 2015
The Lune West Bridge in 2015

“Although the road is expected to be open for traffic by mid-October, work will continue into next year, as we have around 70,000 plants to put in along the route.

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“There will also be another chance for members of the public to walk along it before it’s open, and this time it will be open to everyone”.

Two previous “Welly Walks” along the road raised £40,000 for St John’s Hospice and other charities.

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