DRIVERS are being reminded the M6 in Cheshire will be affected by junction and motorway closures this weekend - and next - as work to pour the concrete for the new £43 million bridge through the roundabout at junction 19 gets underway.

The details for this weekend’s closures at Knutsford are as follows:

• 8pm tomorrow (Friday 9 April) to 6am Saturday (10 April): closure of junction 19 but with the M6 remaining open (occasional lane closures in place). Drivers will be unable to leave or join the motorway at junction 19 and there will be no access to or from the A556 via the junction roundabout.

• 6am to 8pm, Saturday (10 April): the motorway itself will be closed at junction 19 but a direct ‘up and over’ two-lane diversion will be in place with motorway users able to quickly leave and re-join the M6 via the roundabout by using the junction exit and entry slip roads. There will be no access to or from the A556 via the junction roundabout.

• 8pm Saturday (10 April) to 6am Sunday (11 April): closure of junction 19 but with the M6 remaining open(occasional lane closures in place). Drivers will be unable to leave or join the motorway at junction 19 and there will be no access to or from the A556 via the junction roundabout.

• Throughout the work, from 8pm tomorrow (Friday 8 April) to 6am on Sunday (11 April), access to the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon bypass from junction 7 of the M56 will also be closed.

The congestion-busting new bridge through the roundabout and over the motorway is set to open this summer and will provide direct links between the M6 and A556. Almost 1,000 cubic metres of concrete will be poured over the next two weekends – with traffic management for the second weekend of works from 8pm on Friday 16 April following the same pattern and timings of the first.

The ‘up and over’ diversion at junction 19 worked well in January when the motorway was closed for two weekendsas the huge bridge beams were lifted into place. However, with traffic volumes increasing as the pandemic restrictions ease, Highways England is advising drivers to avoid this section of the M6. Longer-distance drivers heading beyond Cheshire should choose alternative motorway routes.

All drivers are advised to check traffic conditions before setting out on journeys. Live traffic information is always available at www.trafficengland.com or from Highways England’s 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000. Updates will also be posted to @HighwaysNWest - Highways England’s regional Twitter feed.

More information on the project is available at https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/north-west/m6-junction-19/