Overnight closures to resurface M6 between junctions 21a and 26

National Highways says it is spending £9million to restore carriageways from Warrington through Haydock and up to Orrell.

Drivers have frequently raised issues with the condition of the road surface, which falls in a section of motorway already under roadworks.

It was announced in December that work to ‘upgrade’ the stretch of highway to a so-called ‘smart motorway’ would run at least a year behind schedule, with original plans for it to be complete by spring this year.

A National Highways spokesman confirmed: “Last week, we started work to resurface what will be the new lanes two and three of the motorway upgrade.

“We recognise that certain sections of the M6 between junctions 21a for Croft and 26 for Orrell are in poor condition.

“We have therefore brought forward resurfacing work, costing around £9million, to maintain safety and improve journeys.

“The work means all four lanes on both carriageways of the M6 will be resurfaced for a significant section of the motorway upgrade.

“We will continue monitoring the road surface on the remaining section and take action if required.

“We are aligning the resurfacing with other work we are doing as part of the upgrade, meaning fewer road closures and less disruption for drivers and residents.

“Our work is currently focussing on the area between junctions 21a for Croft and 23 for Haydock, where the road surface is most worn.

“We are expecting to finish the resurfacing programme in summer 2024.”

National Highways says work to create 22 emergency areas continues to progress, with 17 completed so far, and work on these is expected to be complete by late summer 2024.

Work is ongoing to 'upgrade' the M6 to a so-called 'smart motorway'

“As we complete the main construction of each one, we are removing the temporary metal barriers and replacing them with cones to separate the areas from passing traffic,” the spokesman continued.

“If you break down while the scheme is still in construction, please pull into the coned area if it is possible to do so safely.

“CCTV cameras cover all of the scheme and are monitored 24/7, so assistance will be sent to you.

“We operate a free recovery service for vehicles that breakdown within the M6 scheme area between junctions 21a to 26.”

Meanwhile, work on a ‘comprehensive planting programme’ that will see more than 15,000 shrubs and trees planted is close to completion.

In the coming months, teams will also be carrying out more seeding on the grass verges that run alongside the motorway with a wildflower seed mix.

Another area of work on the motorway is to install new and ‘improved’ signage during periods of overnight closures.

The spokesman added: “We have installed nearly 100 large advance direction signs, digital message boards and message indicators.

“These will provide drivers with vital information and enable smoother journeys.

“The signs and signals are fitted to the 65 new gantries we have put in place throughout the scheme.

“To put signs on them, we use large cranes, and this requires motorway closures for the safety of road users and our workforce.

“To reduce disruption, we carry out our work overnight when traffic volumes are lower, and we have got around 40 signs and signals left to install on gantries.

We have also installed hundreds of other new signs in the roadside verges, which we do under lane closures at night.