THERE is a little bit of good news for motorists who regularly use the M62 after it was announced one lane would be re-opening tonight, Thursday.
The closure of one lane of the M602 heading into Manchester has caused delays of more than an hour for motorists using the M62 eastbound this week.
Many angry motorists took to Twitter to vent their fury after queues stretched for miles particularly during the morning rush hour.
Has the traffic chaos on the M62 and M602 made anyone annoyed today? #traffic #M602 #M62
— Sophie Clinton (@sophieclinton97) December 5, 2018
@HighwaysNWEST can I ask who thought it would be a good idea to reduce the M62 junction with the M602 down to 1 lane?! Absolute chaos for two days? How long will it be like that?
— Alan Russell (@ajrussell69) December 4, 2018
Do any of you idiots realise what you’ve done to the traffic at the end of the M62/start of the 602 closing that fast lane?!?! 1 lane for M60 southbound and the M602... How long we stuck with this for?! @HighwaysNWEST @MENnewsdesk
— Mark Smith (@Sm1thysTweet) December 4, 2018
A Highways England spokesman has now confirmed the lane will be reopened in time for tomorrow morning's rush hour.
READ > Your questions about the M62 roadworks answered
He added: “We needed to change the temporary road layout at junction 12 of the M62 as part of a major project to add extra lanes and better technology to the stretch of motorway between Warrington and Eccles.
“We’re sorry for the disruption this has caused to drivers and have asked our contractor to reinstate two lanes as normal onto the eastbound M602 approaching Manchester from tonight to alleviate pressure on peak-time traffic over the Christmas period.”
But sadly it's not yet clear if motorists will be in the same position in January.
The Warrington Guardian has been told by Highways England they are 'still reviewing the plans at the moment' with regard to whether the same lane would be closed again in the new year.
The Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham has also tweeted there would be a review of the work.
This means the M62/M602 will be back to 2 lanes from FRIDAY morning until New Year. There will be a review of roadworks in the meantime. 2/2
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) December 5, 2018
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