Motorists reminded of overnight road closures on M6 as bridge repairs at Thelwall Viaduct carried out

As well as two overnight closures of the southbound M6 between junction 21a and junction 20 - on Friday and Sunday nights - access to the southbound M6 at junction 21 with the A57 will be closed throughout the weekend from Friday night until Monday morning.

In April, damage to the bridge joint required lane and slip road closures for emergency repairs along the southbound carriageway just beyond the entry slip road at junction 21.

National Highways is returning to the bridge next weekend to install a new bridge joint and complete a permanent repair.

Bridge joints are mechanisms in the carriageway which allow the bridge deck to expand and contract safely with changes in the weather.

Work to install the new bridge joint, which straddles lanes two and three of the southbound carriageway, will be done between two full overnight closures of the carriageway for installation and removal of traffic management with the following timetable:

- 9pm Friday (17 June) to 6am Saturday (18 June) - full closure of the southbound carriageway between junction 21a at Croft Interchange and junction 20 at Lymm Services for the installation of traffic management;

- 6am Saturday to 9pm Sunday (19 June) - permanent repairs to the joint taking place with two lanes running along the southbound carriageway past the roadworks;

- 9pm Sunday to 6am Monday (20 June) - full closure of the southbound carriageway between junction 21a and junction 20 for the removal of the traffic management and re-opening the carriageway to normal four lane running.

A diversion for the two overnight carriageway closures will operate between junction 21a of the M6 at Croft Interchange and junction 19 of the M6 at Knutsford - via the eastbound M62, anti-clockwise M60, westbound M56 and southbound A556.

Drivers planning to use the southbound M6 during the day on Saturday and Sunday should expect congestion when the work is taking place, with two of the four lanes closed to drivers past the roadworks on Thelwall Viaduct.

National Highways is advising drivers to check traffic conditions along the motorway before setting out on journeys and choose an alternative route should they wish to avoid congestion.