West Yorkshire drivers reminded to allow extra travel time as M62 and M1 barrier improvements progress

National Highways is upgrading just over three miles of steel central barrier to concrete on the M62 between junctions 28 (Tingley) and 29 (Lofthouse). Lighting on this stretch of road will also be upgraded.

Work began on the eastbound carriageway on this stretch of road this week.

From Saturday,January 21, work will move on to the westbound carriageway between junctions 29 and 28.

From Monday, January 23, work will also begin to replace around 2.5 miles of the steel central barrier with a concrete one on the M1 between junctions 42 (Lofthouse) and 43 (Belle Isle) and at junction 7 of the M621 (Stourton).

As this scheme progresses, drivers are advised to allow more time for their journeys, especially during peak times.

Daniel Edwards, National Highways project manager, said: “We have done our best to mitigate the potential for delays by keeping three lanes of traffic running, only putting full closures in place overnight when traffic is lightest and making sure everybody is kept informed of the closures.

“However, we are unfortunately expecting to see some significant delays, especially at peak times.

“We apologise in advance for any disruption. Once the work is complete, drivers will see longer-term benefits because the concrete barriers reduce the need for routine repairs in the future.”

The installation of the central barrier on the eastbound carriageway between junctions 28 and 29 began on Monday, January 16. An outside lane closure is already in place in this area.

Closures

M62

From the morning of Saturday,January 21, the outside lane of both the east and westbound carriageways will be closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week between junctions 29 and 28. A 50mph speed limit will be in place on both sides.

Traffic will run under narrow lanes with the hard shoulder used to keep three lanes running during the work over Tingley Interchange.

Full overnight closures will also be in place from Friday, January 20, and the M62 westbound between junctions 29 and 28 will be closed overnight. This will enable preparation work including marking for narrower lanes on this stretch.

Overnight closures have already been in place on the eastbound carriageway on this stretch of road since Saturday, January 14. Full and lane closures will remain in place between 8pm and 6am each night until the scheme finishes in winter 2023.

From the night of Sunday, January 22, a temporary central barrier will be installed on the westbound carriageway between junctions 29 and 28. This will be installed to keep the workforce safe while the permanent replacement is put in place.

M1 / M621

From 5am on Tuesday, January 24, the southbound outside lane between junction 6 of the M621 (Belle Isle) and junction 42 of the M1 (Lofthouse) will be closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A 50mph speed limit will also be in place in this area.

At times this will mean a stretch of the M1 and M621 southbound will be reduced to two lanes southbound.

The closures will be in place on this section of road until winter 2023.

A full overnight closure is due in place from Monday, January 23 until Monday, January 30, on the southbound carriageway between junction 7 of the M621 (Stourton) and junction 42 of the M1. This will enable narrow lanes to be marked out and a temporary safety barrier to be put in place to protect the workforce during the permanent upgrade.

Times and dates for future full and lane closures will be shared via the National Highways’ Yorkshire and North East website, news bulletins and social media channels as they are confirmed.

Anyone with any queries about the work can contact 0300 123 5000 or email [email protected].

For more information on this and other work in Yorkshire and the North East, please visit our Yorkshire and North East page, follow Twitter @HighwaysYORKS or on Facebook - National Highways: Yorkshire