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News

| Submit Comments | Comments (13) | « Previous Story | Next Story »

Sectiions of the M60 will close for six weekends

Six miles of M60 to close

Alan Salter and Neal Keeling

June 17, 2009

AN INVESTIGATION into mysterious cracks in the newest stretch of Greater Manchester's motorway ring road is to result in a series of closures.

Now six miles of the £220m `missing link' section of the M60 around Oldham is to close for the next six weekends while Highways Agency engineers try to find the cause.

The cracks, which are not connected to flooding in the same part of the ring road which cost £4.6m to put right three years ago, were spotted more than 18 months ago.

Digging

So far engineers have studied the cracks and filled them in but the probe will now involve digging a trench across the whole carriageway.

Work will start at 9pm on Friday night and finish at 5am on Monday between junctions 19 at Middleton and 23 at Ashton under Lyne.

The agency believes work will be completed by August, weather permitting.

One side of the motorway will be closed with a contra-flow on the opposite carriageways while the work is being carried out.

Various entry and exit slip roads will also need to be closed.

A 40mph speed limit will be in place throughout the roadworks.

Matthew Sweeting, agency operations manager, said: "We don't know why the cracks have started appearing.

"They are quite small cracks and pose absolutely no danger to drivers and until now, we have been fixing them as they appear. But they shouldn't be there so early in the life of the motorway and it has got to the stage where we decided to have a full investigation."

Overhead message signs will be used to advise drivers of the closures so they can choose an alternative route.

The Highways Agency will deploy extra crews for the duration of the work with a dedicated patrol to cover the roadworks area and react to any breakdowns or accidents to help keep drivers on the move.

Incidents and traffic conditions will also be monitored from motorway cameras.

The nature of the work required will only be known once the investigations are completed.

Mr Sweeting added: "It might turn out not to be that serious and we can simply carry on mending them as they appear," he said.

"But if remedial works are needed, closing the motorway at that point is not an option. It is not the busiest section of the motorway but it is very busy. There would have to be some form of traffic management while the work was done."

When the flooding problem was discovered, investigations showed the road builders were not at fault and in 2006 the agency paid to alter the camber to allow surface water to drain away easily and an `interceptor' tank was built beneath carriageway to collect excess rainfall.

£4.6m bid to stop M60 floods

| Submit Comments | Comments (13) | « Previous Story | Next Story »

Most recent user comments 13 of 13

1 Show 25 | 50 per page

After reading the above comments, it appears that some people think other people are "stupid". If fact, we are all "stupid" at times. Everytime you drive your car, you are driving stupidly. Everytime you take a purchase back to a shop for a refund, you are "stupid" because you have not read the instructions or warranty details properly. Everytime you book a flight on a budget airline your are being "stupid" if you expect everything to go smoothly.

Stupidman, Stockport.

Victor Taylor, Romiley, Stockport, Cheshire, UK
2/09/2009 at 16:08

ace is right, originally this motorway ,was supposed to be built on concrete stilts,over the reservoir,then they ,shortend it and built it on the reservoir bed ,over 1 or 2 coal seams,and then onto the moss bed,it wont be long before it sinks even lower,like the rest of our experts!!!!!!

thomas of droy, droylsden
20/06/2009 at 19:41

Disco Stu You prefer to isolate GMP from the rest of those organisations I mentioned to make a slanted point, but you prefer to completely ignore the stupidity pointed out concerning this installation. I can only conclude your comments indicate you have associations with GMP somewhere. Remember I stated facts,so what`s wrong with the public knowing the truth,obviously you want the truth to be kept under wraps.

J.Hall, Tameside
19/06/2009 at 16:31

"Get the speed cameras out. I expect they have planned these already.

Lots of stealth tax to made here... RT, UK"

Lets hope for Gods sake that they HAVE got the speed cameras out.

Its a contraflow separated by plastic posts. I don't fancy the prospect of facing oncoming traffic so close to me if they are going more than 40mph.

Its time to stop believing the conspiracy theory that speed cameras are to raise revenue.

I despair at some people.......................

Swizzle, boothstown
19/06/2009 at 15:53

RT, UK - "Get the speed cameras out. I expect they have planned these already"

At least 2 Speed cameras were erected yesterday on this stretch of motorway - the very day you posted that comment. They are covered at the moment.

Prestwich Red, Prestwich
19/06/2009 at 14:12

You don't have to be a genius to know what the problem is. The name Ashton 'Moss' is the big clue here. After Ashton Moss, the M60 goes across what used to be called Thale 'Moss'. Notice anything? Moss = bog.

The area is also wriggled with mine shafts. The area is alo the epicentre for a lot of the recent earth tremours.

That bit of fluff, under the sofa
19/06/2009 at 09:57

J.Hall of Tameside. Have you ever thought about getting a job at the Evening News?, They blame everything they can on the police too! get a life!!!

Disco Stu,
18/06/2009 at 19:43

Get the speed cameras out. I expect they have planned these already.

Lots of stealth tax to made here...

RT, UK
18/06/2009 at 11:23

Oh boy, the consul;tants have got a job for life here, it pays to get it wrong.

token male, lush green cheshire
18/06/2009 at 00:30

If you want more gross stupdity relating to the M60 in the Tameside Region,look whats now occuring, TMBC Council are near completion in installing an almost 60 foot Illuminated Advertising Tower bang on the Junction 24 corner with the obvious objective (because only motorists can see the adverts)of deliberately distracting the 270,000 daily motorists/HGV`s from their need to concentrate on the 23 lanes of converging traffic at this notorious dangerous interchange.M67/M60/A57 Now the Facts are the Highways Agency have approved it, and Greater Manchester Police have ignored it,as have local press.So imagine the increased numbers of shunting traffic accidents now courtesy of Tameside Council,Highways Agency and Greater Manchester Police. Blame them next time you get your rear end dented. Because these are facts which I can completely substantiate having been on this issue for months I trust the MEN will let the public know the facts and print this in comments.

J.Hall, Tameside
17/06/2009 at 15:06

I have noticed a lot of road subsidence in the city centre recently too.....one with a few fella's in suits and hard hats stood around shaking their heads. Very scientific.

MPs gravy train, UK
17/06/2009 at 14:52

Maybe it has something to do with that hole appearing in Didsbury?

Guten Tag, Manchester
17/06/2009 at 14:10

Most of that motorway around ashton was built on a moss with minning under it? take your pick who made the mistake of planning this stupid motorway through the "valley of motorway death."roads and moss and mining dosnt work so well....bad design and planning.