Vital motorway bridge used by 120k drivers daily to be overhauled for first time in 50 years sparking closures & delays

A VITAL motorway bridge is set to be renovated for the first time in 50 years, sparking a series of closures and long delays.

Preparations for the work are already underway and the ";construction phase" could last several years.

National Highways has announced a huge overhaul of the Lune Gorge bridge network in Cumbria.

The route is made up of eight separate stretches of bridge, all of which are set to be affected.

The structures are responsible for carrying the M6 motorway across the gorge, which divides northern Lancashire and southern Cumbria.

Opening in 1970, the bridge has since seen a massive increase in traffic demand.

Officials say this has meant that the structures are now "rapidly reaching the end of their serviceable life".

Before that happens, National Highways is undertaking a massive works programme to replace them all.

Surveys and ground inspections have already kicked off and the preparatory work is expected to continue into 2025.

The main building work will then start in 2027 and is set to last until 2030/31.

Throughout that four-year period, drivers in the area can expect intermittent closures, bringing with them significant disruption.

The main focus of the work will be refreshing the road surface and shoring up the base structures to ensure they remain safe to use.

The contracting firm brought in for the project has been asked by the agency to minimise disruption to the affected stretch of motorway, which carries over 120,000 cars a day.

It will be holding a series of "meet the team" events throughout next year to allow locals to ask any questions they have about the work.

Khalid El-Rayes, the senior project manager for National Highways, said: "Our delivery partners including Kier, RPS, Aecom, and Tony Gee, bring decades of experience in engineering and design, ensuring that we can deliver this project efficiently and safely.

"We've been working with them to develop design solutions to reduce the length of roadworks and number of closures.

"By using specialist equipment we'll be able to replace the bridge decks safely and more quickly than traditional construction methods."