Highways England will shut the M60 motorway overnight on Friday and Saturday to continue demolition of 100-tonne steel gantries for its £202m smart motorway project.
On Friday 3 July the anticlockwise side of the M60 will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from Junction 13 at Worsley to Junction 12 at the M62/M602 interchange for Salford/Eccles.
A 200-tonne crane will pull down the 30-metre structures so new variable speed limit electronic signs can be installed.
On Saturday 4 July, the M60 will be closed for around ten hours from 10pm clockwise between Junction 10 at Trafford Park and Junction 12 at the M62/M602 interchange.
At the same time the anticlockwise side of the M60 between Junction 12 and Junction 11 at Irlam will also close.
Highways England needs to remove the gantries, which weigh the equivalent of 70 family cars, as they are not suitable for the new electronic signs being installed.
Diversions will be in place.
Paul Hampson, Project Manager at Highways England, said: “The work to remove the outdated gantries is progressing well and we’re planning to remove another four during July, the largest of which spans 34 metres and weighs around 100 tonnes. It’s therefore essential we close sections of the motorway to remove them safely.
“We’re advising people to allow extra time for their journeys if they’re planning to travel when the closures are taking place, although we’ve deliberately timed the demolition work to be carried out when traffic levels are at their lowest.”
When the smart motorway scheme is completed in autumn 2017, around 200 new electronic message signs on overhead gantries will warn drivers of changes in the mandatory speed limit, lane closures and incidents ahead.
