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Superspan gantries arrive on
M62 for 'Smart Motorway Project'
THE 1st of 8 'superspan'
gantries crossing whole sections of the 'M60 and M62 Manchester Smart
Motorway Project' will be installed later this week. The overhead
gantries, which will carry message and variable speed limit signs, are being
installed over the next 6 weeks with the 1st being erected across the M62,
between Junction 19 at Heywood and Junction 20 at Oldham.
The gantries; which will span both the Eastbound and Westbound carriageways of
the motorway; are up to 59 metres wide, weigh up to 78 tonnes and will require a
special 500 tonne crane to help install them as well as full overnight motorway
closures.
The 1st closure will take place along the M62, in both directions between
Junction 19 and Junction 20 from 10pm on Thursday night until 6am on Friday
morning. The closure could be postponed if strong winds are forecast.
The smart motorway scheme, between junction 8 of the M60 near
Sale and Junction 20 of the M62, will see the latest technology being used to
monitor traffic levels and keep vehicles moving by using variable speed limits.
The hard shoulder will also be permanently converted into an extra lane to
increase capacity between Junction 18 and 2 Junction 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 2 parts. A 150 tonne mobile crane will then be
used to join the 2 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 on Tuesday, 10 May 2016, and Thursday, 12 May 2016.
The Eastbound diversion route for the closures
from Junction 19 will operate North of the Motorway; from Junction 19 using the
Northbound A6046, Eastbound A458 and Southbound A627(M) down to Junction 20.
The Westbound diversion will run South of the Motorway; with
drivers sent onto the Southbound A627(M) from Junction 20, Westbound A664 and
northbound A6046 up to Junction 19.
Similar gantries will also be installed along the M60 around Eccles, Sale and
Barton over the next few weeks with the details of further overnight motorway
closures publicised in advance. When the Smart Motorway Scheme is completed, in
autumn 2017, around 200 new electronic message signs, on overhead gantries, will
warn drivers of changes in the mandatory speed limit, lane closures and
incidents ahead. |
