M6 closures south of Lancashire this week to last for three days as part of smart motorway work

National Highways North West has warned motorists that there will be overnight closures between junctions 23 (Haydock Island) and 26 (Orrell Interchange) of the M6, southbound, between Tuesday September 20 to Thursday September 22.

The overnight closures, running from 9pm to 6am, are neccessary for National Highways to install gantries between junctions 23 and 26 of the M6.

This is the second week of closures as part of the scheme, with the first set taking place last week (Tuesday September 13 to Thursday September 15.)

National Highways have said that the new signs will provide key information to motorists while travelling, keeping them safe and ensuring journeys run smoother.

There will be clearly signed diversion routes in place for each closure, and you can find the list of diversions on this website.

They also warned that nearby residents may notice more noise in the area than normal when the gantries are being installed.

National Highways said: “We’ll be making every effort to reduce the noise as much as possible and will be following industry best practice. Nonetheless, we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

“We always aim to work to schedule. However, unforeseen circumstances such as poor weather may mean changes occur at short notice and this may change the dates above.”

When the scheme is complete, messages on the gantries will be operated from National Highway’s Regional Operations Centre.

Radar technology and cameras will be used to detect the speed, volume and flow of traffic, with this data informing an optimum speed that will be displayed on the signs, keeping traffic moving and reducing congestion.

The signs can also be altered manually by Regional Operations Centre staff in the event of an accident or debris on the road, for instance they can close a lane to protect a live lane breakdown and to create a path for emergency service vehicles to access the incident.

A red X will be shown above the affected lane (or lanes) to close the traffic, and supporting variable message signs will be set to inform approaching motorists of a closed lane.