Roadworks on M65 and M61

The interchange at Walton Summit, where Junction 9 of the M61 meets Junction 2 of the M65, will be the focus of a £36,000 Highways Agency project. In work starting on Thursday, the roundabout carriageway is being retextured in routine maintenance to renew skid resistance.

During the work, which will be taking place between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., one lane of the roundabout will be kept open at all times but there will be phased closures of slip roads leading onto and off the roundabout with signed diversions in place along each motorway.

The project also involves resurfacing patch repairs along M61 northbound exit and entry slip roads between Junction 5 at Westhoughton and Junction 8 at Chorley. The work will be done junction-by-junction and, where possible, the slip road hard shoulder will be used as a running lane to keep slip roads open to traffic. When the hard shoulder is in use a 50 m.p.h. speed limit will be in place.

All the work will be completed by Saturday, March 31st.

Highways Agency project sponsor Jakub Malaj said: “This is routine maintenance to ensure drivers can continue to enjoy safe, smooth and reliable journeys. All the work has been timed to take place overnight when traffic volumes are lowest to minimise any inconvenience to motorway users although diversions will be in place when entry and exit slips at the interchange are closed.”