Drivers are warned that a section of the M6 will be closed southbound overnight tonight for urgent repairs to a damaged bridge.
The road will be closed between Junction 39 at Shap and Junction 36 at the Crooklands Interchange today, Monday, June 29 from 8pm until 6am tomorrow Tuesday, June 30.
A diversion route via Kendal will be in place.
Engineers will repair Jeffery’s Bridge.
National Highways said a recent inspection of the seven bridges that make up the Lune Gorge scheme identified deteriorated expansion joints and worn carriageway surfacing that required immediate intervention to maintain safety and avoid emergency closures.
A National Highways spokesman said: “The deterioration is the most severe on Jeffery’s Bridge and needs addressing as a matter of urgency.
“We will be carrying out urgent repair work overnight to minimise disruption.
“The rapid deterioration of the bridges that carry the M6 through the Lune Gorge emphasises that improvements are essential to keep drivers safe and ensure the road remains fit for the future.”
The bridges over Lune Gorge were built in the late 1960s and are near the end of their lifespan.
Plans are in place to replace the bridges in a controversial scheme.
A review into plans to close the M6 to carry out essential work to eight bridges across the M6 will be carried out.
National Highways want to replace the deteriorating bridges across the Lune Gorge.
The original proposal for work would have seen Junction 38, near Tebay, will be closed southbound for 18 months, and then northbound for 18 months while work was carried out.
Work was due to start next year and last until 2031.
The plans caused outrage due to the four years of disruption it would cause to people living in the surrounding area.
A petition against the scheme, led by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, was signed by over 5,500 people.
