Overnight road closures will be in place on the M56 motorway during August and September for bridge construction works.
The route will be shut in one direction at affected times between junction 11 Preston Brook and junction 12 Runcorn to allow concrete pouring for a central pier. This will support the bridge once installed later in the year.
National Highways is building a £23m bridge over the M56, which will link the A533 Southern Expressway in Runcorn with Chester Road, leading to junction 11 of the M56 as well as Whitehouse Industrial Estate and Northwich to the south. The structure will replace its aging predecessor, which is to be demolished once the new crossing is in place.
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Completion is expected by summer 2023, Cheshire Live reports.
The motorway will only be shut in one direction during closures, with diversions via the east Runcorn expressway system.
The following overnight closures will be in place, all from 9pm to 5am and relating to the stretch between junctions 11 and 12:
- Monday, August 8, to Friday, August 12, M56 eastbound, from 9pm to 5am for five nights with the westbound carriageway open as usual.
- Monday, August 15, to Friday, August 19, M56 eastbound will shut, with the westbound open as usual. Drivers are advised the M56 junction 6 to 8 motorway upgrade will have overnight closures on the westbound carriageway between junctions 5 and 8 at the same time.
- Monday, September 5, and Tuesday, September 6, M56 eastbound closed, and westbound open as normal.
- Wednesday, September 7, and Thursday, September 8, M56 westbound shut, while the eastbound will remain open.
- Monday, September 26, to Tuesday, September 27, M56 westbound closed, and eastbound to stay open.
- Wednesday, September 28, to and Thursday, September 29, M56 eastbound, with the westbound open.
A National Highways spokesperson said huge bridge beams, each weighing the equivalent to 45 elephants, have already arrived on site, which they said marked a "key milestone" for the project and means the existing bridge can stay open during the construction works.
They said: "We plan to replace the existing structure with a new 67m two-span concrete bridge, consisting of a single two-lane carriageway and a combined footpath/cycleway.
"The replacement of this bridge will ensure an increased life span of over 120 years for road users, maintaining safety in the long term.
"A substantial part of the project will be built off site to minimise disruption and we’ll keep the existing bridge open whilst we construct the new bridge.
"On completion, traffic will be transferred to the new structure to continue the flow of traffic and allow for the demolition of the exiting bridge structure."
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