Overnight closure to fit M62 gantry

The first "superspan" gantry of Manchester smart motorway project will be installed between the Oldham and Heywood junctions of the M62 on Thursday

THE first “superspan” gantry of Manchester smart motorway project will be installed between the Oldham and Heywood junctions of the M62 on Thursday.

The installation of the giant overhead structure - the first of eight to be erected on sections of the M60 and M62 - means the M62 will be closed in both directions between junction 19 and junction 20 from 10pm on Thursday night until 6am on Friday morning with further closures planned for next week.

The closure could be postponed if strong winds are forecast.

Spanning both the eastbound and westbound carriageways the gantries will use the latest technology to monitor traffic levels and keep vehicles moving by using variable speed limits.

Measuring up to 59 metres wide and weighing up to 78 tonnes they require a special 500 tonne crane to help install them over the next six weeks forcing full overnight motorway closures.

The hard shoulder will also be permanently converted into an extra lane to increase capacity between junctions 18 and 20 on the M62.

Highways England project manager Stephen Hill said: “These new gantries are quite a bit lighter than the old gantries we removed earlier in the project. But they are still very large structures and are actually arriving on site in two parts. A 150 tonne mobile crane will then be used to join the sections together before the larger crane lifts the whole structure in place across the motorway.

“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 lifting work to be carried out when traffic levels are at their lowest.”

Further overnight closures between junctions 19 and 20 are scheduled to take place next week - on Tuesday (May 10) and Thursday (May 12).

Similar gantries will also be installed along the M60 around Eccles, Sale and Barton over the next few week

The smart motorway scheme is expected to be completed in autumn, 2017.20.