THE M6 will be closed in both directions by roadworks this weekend.

Highway England will be carrying out major work to install a new bridge over the motorway at junction 19 for Knutsford over the next two weekends.

As a result, drivers will be required to leave and re-join the carriageway at this junction from 6am to 8pm on Saturday, April 10, and Saturday, April 17.

There will be no access to or from the A556 between 8pm on Friday and 6am on Sunday on both of these weekends in order to keep traffic from the M6 flowing as smoothly as possible.

Motorists will not be able to join this route from junction seven of the M56 either during these times.

Drivers are advised to avoid the area or check traffic conditions before travelling.

The £43million project saw huge steel beams lifted into place over the motorway in January, and over the coming weeks workers will be pouring in the bridge deck’s concrete foundations.

A total of 1,000 cubic metres of concrete, enough to fill 1,500 hot tubs or a million orange juice cartons, will be used over the two weekends.

Resurfacing works and drainage repairs are also likely to take place while the closures are in place.

It is anticipated that the new bridge, which aims to improve traffic flow between the motorway and the A556, will be completed in the summer.

Project manager Khalid El-Rayes said: “This is an exciting phase of the project when we’ll be laying the foundations for the carriageway over the bridge beams we installed back in January.

“We’ve worked hard to minimise disruption to people’s journeys.

“The motorway will be closed at junction 19 on the two Saturdays during the day, but we’re installing a short diversion via the roundabout allowing drivers to leave and immediately re-join the motorway using the exit and entry slip roads.”