National Highways issues update for Wigan motorway upgrade

National Highways’ is adding extra emergency areas, new technology and a lane in each direction to the motorway between junctions 21a (Croft Interchange) and junction 26 (Orrell).

It is also resurfacing all four lanes of the carriageway across those sections of the route..

Due to the size of the equipment required for the resurfacing there will be a series of 9pm to 6am overnight carriageway closures over the next three weeks:

• M6 southbound junctions 22 to 21a – overnight closure on Tuesday June 18
• M6 northbound junctions 22 to 23 – overnight closures tonight, tomorrow and Friday (June 11, 12 and 14) and on Tuesday, Thursday, Monday and Wednesday the following weeks (June 18, 20, 24, 26).
• M6 southbound junctions 23 to 22 – overnight closures on Thursday June 13 and Thursday June 27
• M6 northbound junctions 23 to 26 – overnight closure on Thursday June 27 and Friday June 28
• M6 southbound junctions 26 to 23 – overnight closures on Wednesday June 19, Thursday June 20, Friday June 21, Monday June 24, Tuesday June 25 and Wednesday June 26.

The precise dates and times of the work may be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.

Clearly-signed diversions will be in place overnight when a carriageway is closed.

Some 30 miles of the extra resurfacing work has been completed – more than half planned.

Most of 52 new overhead gantry-based advanced motorway indicator signs – needed to display red X’s and variable speed limits - have also been fitted on the new motorway gantries and tested.

Almost all of 43 standalone message signs in the motorway verge which will be used to give incident and other information in text or pictograms have also been installed and tested.

And all of the upgrade’s 22 emergency areas will be completed next month.

More information, including details of the diversion routes, is available on the M6 upgrade project webpage.