Overnight M6 closures for Heysham Link project put back two days

Drivers using the M6 through north Lancashire are being advised an important phase of Lancashire County Council’s £124 million Heysham Link project will require the closure of the M6 for up to four nights next week.

The new road will link Heysham with junction 34 of the M6 which is operated by Highways England.

Work next week on the Foundry Lane overbridge – which crosses the M6 and is being extended to accommodate new motorway slip roads – will mean the motorway being closed between 10pm and 5am each night in both directions between junction 34 for Lancaster and junction 35 for Carnforth.

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The closures will now take place from Wednesday night July 22 having previously been advertised to start from Monday July 20 for up to four nights.

Highways Agency project manager Peter Hamer said: “Although Heysham Link is a county council project along the local road network, its connection to the M6 will deliver significant improvements at junction 34 of the motorway with better entry and exit slips and next week’s work is a vital phase of those improvements,”

During the closures, drivers will be diverted along the A6.

Drivers on the southbound M6 will leave at junction 35 and be diverted on the A6 via Carnforth, Bolton-le-Sands, Slyne, Skerton and Lancaster. They will be guided to re-join the M6 at junction 34.

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Northbound traffic on the M6 will leave at junction 34 for Lancaster and will follow the same route in reverse - via Lancaster, Skerton, Slyne, Bolton-le-Sands, and Carnforth.

High sided vehicles over 15ft 6inches (4.72m) will be diverted onto Kellet Road (B6254) in Carnforth to avoid the low railway bridge on Scotland Road (A6).

Temporary traffic lights are being installed on Torrisholme Road between Russell Drive and Endsleigh Grove for up to three weeks.

The traffic management starting on Monday, July 20, is needed to allow masonry works to continue on the walls inside the new structure.

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In order to keep the footpath open to pedestrians a lane closure is required to create the space required for scaffolding near to the bridge walls.

The Lancashire County Council road project started in January of last year and is due to be completed summer 2016.

The improvements around junction 34 include the improved motorway slip roads and a 600-space park and ride site just off the junction and work on these is now underway.

Lancashire County Council has a dedicated website for the project including up to date schedules of roadworks. This is available at: www.lancashire.gov/Heyshamlink.