Traffic chaos on UK motorway as 'double daytime closure' wreaks havoc between two cities
Drivers have had to deal with traffic chaos on a major UK motorway with road users venting their frustration on social media.
Motorists have described a scene of traffic chaos after National Highways shut down a popular motorway route for four days over the weekend.
A large section of the M62 Motorway was closed as builders got to work installing a new £22 million railway bridge at Castleton.
It meant a whole section between Junction 18 at Simister Island Interchange and Junction 20 at Rochdale was shut off between Friday and Monday.
The westbound carriageway between Junction 19 at Heywood and Junction 20 were also affected.
Roads were closed between 9pm on Friday and 6am on Monday with more evening shutdowns extended for more than a week.
The route connects two of the UK's biggest cities with the road between Leeds and Manchester.
As the roads reopened on Monday, National Highways thanked drivers for their support and understanding.
However, road users had already taken to social media site X to vent their anger over the scale of the delays.
National Highways has previously posted that drivers had been delayed by around 30 minutes, a figure road users on the ground had questioned.
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X user @phantom1985im said: “Absolute pain in the arse. Took 5 hrs to get from Liverpool to York.”
@WitterinLaconic commented: “When you send the entirety of the M62 traffic up a 40 MPH urban road with traffic lights every 1/4 mile for crossroads then you're going to end up with queues that long.”
@roberthalshaw02 commented: “30 minutes. More like two hours I think you’ll find. Stop misleading travellers.”
The road reopened as expected on Monday morning but more description is likely as the project concludes.
Between Monday 9 and Friday 20 September, the road will be shut between 9pm and 6am between junction 19 (Heywood) and 20 (Rochdale).
Olivia Boland, spokesperson for Network Rail, stressed the work on the bridge was vital for the local area.
She said: “The replacement of Castleton bridge is essential for the safe running of our railway, and crucial to the country’s economy as six percent of the UK’s energy supply relies on the bridge for transportation.
“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience our work will cause motorists and passengers. If it is essential that you travel, please follow the signed diversionary routes and don’t rely on sat nav advice.”
