Emergency motorway closure tonight after serious lorry crash

A full carriageway closure will take place on M62 tonight for emergency resurfacing work. Three lanes on the westbound M62 between Manchester and Warrington have been closed, and will remain closed for the rest of the day, with a full carriageway closure from 9pm tonight. Drivers in the area who are planning to use the route are being warned about the planned closures.

LancsLive reported [1] that the section of the carriageway was closed-off earlier today between Junction 12 at Eccles Interchange and Junction 11 at Birchwood following a collision between two HGVs. It resulted in a spillage of diesel, which ultimately damaged the carriageway's surface. Throughout the incident, one lane has been open and used for traffic passing through the area.

Although the vehicles in question have since been removed, the three other westbound lanes will need to remain closed for safety reasons, as work is carried out overnight. All four lanes will close at 9pm completely, between Junction 12 and 11 for the resurfacing work and they are then expected to re-open before 5am tomorrow morning. If you are looking to use this route, drivers are being urged to rethink their journey and avoid travelling westbound along this section of the motorway.

The aftermath following the incident on the M62 today (Image: National Highways North West)

Planning alternative routes or delaying journeys are encouraged to avoid congestion.

The earlier incident did cause congestion today, particularly along the anti-clockwise M60 and southbound M61 [2] throughout the day. Tonight does see a big football game in Manchester, with Manchester City playing in the Champions league final against Bayern Munich. Drivers leaving the game are being advised to factor in the closure of the westbound M62 and to plan an alternative route if needed.

Motorists are also advised to check traffic conditions before setting out on journeys. Live traffic information is always available at www.trafficengland.com [3] or from National Highways' 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000. Updates will also be posted to @HighwaysNWest - National Highways' regional Twitter [4] feed.

References

^ LancsLive reported (www.lancs.live)
^ M61 (www.lancs.live)
^ www.trafficengland.com (www.trafficengland.com)
^ Twitter (www.lancs.live)