Superspan gantry closures for M1 smart motorway upgrade
EIGHT ‘superspan’ gantries crossing the M1 near Sheffield will be installed overnight as part of a major smart motorway project to tackle congestion and improve journey times.
Highways England will be installing the gantries, which will carry message and variable speed limit signs, between junction 32 (M18) and junction 34 (Meadowhall) overnight, between 9pm and 6am, starting on Monday 15 August.
The first two gantries will be installed overnight on Monday 15 and on Tuesday 16 August between junction 33 (Doncaster) and junction 34.
To carry out the work lanes two and three on the northbound carriageway and all three lanes on the southbound carriageway will be closed, with traffic travelling on the hard shoulder. Traffic will be temporarily stopped while the lift is undertaken.
A further six gantries between junctions 32 and 33 will be installed over four nights starting on Monday 22 August. The southbound carriageway will be fully closed along with lanes two and three on the northbound carriageway.
Highways England project manager Arun Sahni said: “The erection of a ‘superspan’ is a big job that calls for overnight closures, but then they’re very big structures. You really get a sense of their size when they are on the ground waiting to go up.
“While we have the closures in place for the six nights we will also be carrying out other works in the area which included resurfacing of the entry slip road at junction 33.”
Cleary signed diversions will be place when the southbound carriageway is closed via the A630, the A631 and M18. Heavy goods vehicles can use either the M62 and the A1 or the M62 and M18.
