Wigan road to shut for bridge work on new link road

Poolstock Lane, across which the beams will soon be laid

It was initially planned that huge, 75-tonne beams would be lowered onto the already-built uprights bracketing Poolstock Lane this Saturday and Sunday.

But there has been a slight hold-up and now this hefty yet delicate piece of engineering, involving a towering crane, will take place on May 25 and 26. If everything goes to plan, the road will be back open on bank holiday Monday morning.

It is one important component of the A49 link road between Westwood Park and Goose Green, work on which began last autumn and is due to finish in about 12 months’ time.

Parts of the road are already taking shape, including a stretch down the side of Scotman’s Flash and beams for the first bridge on the route, which will straddle the canal adjacent to Scotman’s Flash, have already been laid.

Wigan Council and developers say that the aim of the project is to ease congestion along residential Poolstock Lane, in the process reducing pollution because faster-moving vehicles give off fewer noxious fumes, while helping to open up brownfield land for redevelopment.

And this is just one section of the road, other parts of which would stretch up through the old Pemberton Colliery site, along the southern side of Pemberton and join up with the M6 and

M58 roundabout at Orrell. In the other direction, the road would head from Westwood to the M61 at Westhoughton.

The section of Poolstock Lane where the bridge crosses will be closed from midnight on Friday May 24 through to 6am on Monday May 27 with a signed diversion in place.

Residents and local businesses have been informed and will still have access to their properties. The emergency services will also have access should they be required to attend the Poolstock area.

Eryl Evans, project manager at Jones Bros said: “We have worked hard to ensure that all residents and businesses immediately affected by this closure have been directly contacted well in advance as we understand that alternative arrangements may need to be made in some cases.

“We appreciate that this may cause some inconvenience, but we are committed to delivering a high-quality project for the people of Wigan.

“Safety is our key priority when undertaking these projects, so it is imperative that we take all the necessary precautions.”

A third bridge will later be put over Smithy Brook.