FINAL demolition works to replace a motorway bridge take place this weekend as part of a £23 million National Highways project.

The last phase involves removing part of the top sections of the supporting structures at either side of St Anne’s Road bridge in Denton, Greater Manchester, which crosses the M67.

The work follows last month’s successful demolition of the main bridge deck, on which vehicles run.

The next step will see upper sections of the abutment walls – the supporting structures at either side of the bridge – removed.

The top section of the towering walls will be cut down into giant 2m concrete cubes, each weighing around 20 tonnes, before being lifted by crane onto transport lorries.

To enable this work to be undertaken and for the safety of road users and workforce involved, a section of the M67 will be closed in both directions from 9pm on Friday, November 8, to 5am on Monday, November 11, between junction 1A at Denton and junction 3 at Hyde.

Mangat Bansal, National Highways’ programme delivery manager, said: “Work to complete the removal of the bridge deck last month went very well and according to plan.

"We can now undertake this final phase in our demolition works which will involve reducing the height of the abutment walls.

"These will then be modified in preparation for the installation of beams for the new bridge next year.

“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 to customers, although regretfully delays to journeys are expected. We therefore advise everyone to plan before they travel and allow extra time to complete their journey. We apologise for any inconvenience this work will cause.

“We would again like to thank the local community, including road users, for their support and patience while we continue our work to provide the new bridge.” 

The same diversion routes used last month will be in place for this weekend’s closure. The routes have been created in consultation with the emergency services and local authority and will be clearly signposted.

Drivers travelling between Manchester (M60) and the A57 Snake Pass and A628 will be able to follow a signed diversion running north of the M67 between junction 24 of the M60 and Mottram-in-Longdendale - using the A635 and A6018 via Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge. Drivers on longer through journeys can also consider using the alternative M62 trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Leeds. 

Live traffic information is available at www.trafficengland.com or from National Highways’ 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000. Updates will also be posted to @HighwaysNWest – National Highways’ regional X feed (formerly Twitter).

More information about the project is available on a dedicated webpage at: www.nationalhighways.co.uk/m67-st-annes-road-bridge