Greater Manchester motorway shuts TONIGHT as drivers issued warning

M67 diversions will be in place with traffic delays expected

08:00, 04 Apr 2025

A section of the M67 motorway will be closed this weekend as part of a GBP23m project to replace an ageing bridge[1].

National Highways has been working to replace the St Anne's Road bridge in Denton[2] since 2023 with demolition work starting that summer. The next phase of work will see eight huge steel beams - with a combined weight of more than 250 tonnes - installed.

The last full weekend closure of the M67 will start from tonight (April 4) with this part of the motorway shut until Monday morning.

The motorway will be closed between junctions 1A at Denton and 3 at Hyde[3] with diversion routes in place throughout the weekend.

Drivers have been told expect delays as 'safety critical' work takes place, plan ahead and allow extra time to complete their trip.

Mangat Bansal, National Highways' programme delivery manager, said: "This final weekend closure will allow our teams to safely install the eight steel beams which will carry the new bridge across the motorway.

"It is imperative we keep the travelling public and our workforce safe. To achieve this, we need to close the motorway for the weekend to allow for the heavy machinery needed to undertake this work to be brought in.

"We always strive to minimise disruption, although regretfully delays to journeys are expected.

We therefore advise everyone to plan before they travel and allow extra time.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this work will cause and thank people for their support and patience while we continue our work."

The braced beams, each pair weighing up to 65 tonnes, will support the new bridge deck on which vehicles run.

The St Anne's Road bridge crosses the M67 and is being replaced due to long-term safety concerns.

The new bridge will allow unrestricted access for all road users at the location, including eastbound access to the M67.

The bridge also carries vital utility services including water, gas, electricity and telecommunications, connecting customers across a wide part of Greater Manchester.

Work to re-route these services was completed at an earlier stage.

The work last year saw the successful demolition of the main bridge deck and removal of upper sections of the abutment walls - the supporting structures at either side of the bridge.

Further work has been ongoing to modify the abutment walls and lay the groundwork for the installation of the new steel beams.

The beams measure 34 metres in length, are three metres wide and 1.5 metres high and two cranes will be used to safely lift them into place.

This weekend will be the final weekend closure for the project, before a number of overnight closures are expected to take place while the new bridge deck is constructed.

Traffic running between Manchester and Sheffield will be diverted along the A635 and A6018, through Ashton[4] and Stalybridge[5].

References

1. ^ a GBP23m project to replace an ageing bridge (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ Denton (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Hyde (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^ Ashton (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
5. ^ Stalybridge (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)