Drivers and rail passengers are facing travel chaos as a busy UK motorway is to close for two full weekends in September, with a five-mile diversion in place.
The route will be closed in both directions while a huge rail bridge is replaced. The 2,000-tonne crossing runs over the M62 between J18 and J20, near Castleton, Yorkshire.
The closure will be in place from 9pm on Friday, September 6, to 6am on Monday, September 9. The second weekend closure will be in place from 9pm on Friday, September 20, to 6am on Monday, September 23.
Over the course of the shutdown, workers will dismantle Castleton bridge and use the M62 to transport the fragments away. The new bridge will then be installed during the second weekend. Network Rail is investing more than £22m to rebuild the railway bridge.
Castleton bridge carries six per cent of the UK’s energy supply across the country and is used by trains travelling from West Yorkshire to Greater Manchester.
This means the roughly 144,000 vehicles that use the road every day will not be able to access the stretch between J18 and J20 eastbound for the A627(M) and between J19 and J20 westbound.
David Hunter, Network Rail’s senior freight manager, said: “Castleton bridge is an essential part of the country’s freight network and is on a key freight route across the Pennines which links the west and east sides of the country.”
Outside of the full road closure, the motorway has been reduced to three lanes since July 28, which will be in place until October 18. There will also be nightly closures of the M62 between J19 and J20 from 9pm to 6am from Monday, September 9 until Friday, September 20.
For drivers, a five-mile diversion has been put in place, taking them through the town of Middleton on A-roads to skirt around the closure.
The railway, meanwhile, will be unavailable from from September 6 until the early hours of September 25.
Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern Rail said “rail replacement buses will be operating services between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale”, however journey times will be longer.
He added: “I would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding whilst this important infrastructure work takes place.