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Mancunian Way re-opened after sinkhole collapsed road


The Mancunian Way link road in central Manchester has re-opened to traffic this morning after a huge 40ft sinkhole appeared in the carriageway.

Both lanes of the westbound carriageway were opened at 5am this morning, Tuesday 1 September, with a contraflow in place so traffic can move in both directions.

There is no date set yet for when the eastbound carriageway will re-open. Highways bosses are still asking drivers to find alternative routes where possible to take the pressure off the roadway.

Watch drone footage of the Mancunian Way sinkhole

The route was closed after heavy flooding on Friday 14 August overloaded a culvert running underneath the road, and the tarmac fell in on itself to reveal the deep hole.

Torrential storms that morning saw 20mm of rain fall in under three hours.

Mancunian Way sinkhole4

flooding mancunian way andy pratt

Emergency repairs have now been completed, Manchester City Council confirmed.

Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “We have been working closely with United Utilities to make sure traffic can begin flowing as quickly as possible.

“Due to the ongoing nature of the roadworks we will be introducing a temporary 20mph speed limit and restricting larger vehicles on these lanes.

“We are expecting heavy traffic on the Mancunian Way so we are asking motorists to use alternative routes if possible in order to reduce congestion across the highway network.”

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Tom is SalfordOnline.com's News Editor and community co-ordinator.