The first overnight road closures as part of a £9 million overhaul of an M6 bridge near Penrith will take place this weekend.
The two-year project on the bridge, carrying the M6 over the River Lowther, began earlier this week.
The northbound carriageway closed between Junction 39 and Junction 40 from 10pm to 6am today, Saturday April 5 and tomorrow, Sunday, April 6.
From Monday, April 7, the northbound carriageway will be reduced to two lanes – with the hard shoulder and lane one closed and with drivers using lanes two and three to drive past the roadworks.
The southbound M6 will then be closed between Junction 40 and Junction 39 from 10pm to 6am next weekend, Saturday April 12 and Sunday April 13.
From Monday April 14, the southbound carriageway will reduced to two lanes – with the hard shoulder and lane one closed and drivers able to use lanes two and three past the roadworks.
During both weekend closures a diversion will operate between junction 39 and junction 40 using the A6.
The work, along the bridge deck and underneath it, includes concrete repairs to both the deck superstructure and substructure, full rewaterproofing and resurfacing and renewing the central reservation barrier. Bridge joints – mechanisms in the carriageway which allow the bridge to expand or contract in different weather conditions – will also be replaced.
The motorway will remain open at all times when the repairs are taking place with two lanes operating in both the southbound and northbound carriageway during the day and a lane open in each direction overnight.
A 40mph speed limit with free recovery will be in place.
Traffic management is being shared with Network Rail which is working to replace Clifton bridge – about three quarters of a mile south of Lowther bridge and which carries the important west coast mainline over the motorway.
