The M62 at Rochdale will be closed overnight for a bridge demolition this weekend.

London, Great Britain – The Highways Agency is advising drivers that the M62 at Rochdale will be closed overnight for a bridge demolition this weekend.

A redundant bridge over the M62 is to be demolished by explosive experts and will be replaced by newly built bridge at Dig Gate Lane.

The new bridge is part of £5 million project to remodel Junction 21 and improve access to the Kingsway Business Park.

The motorway will be closed to traffic in both directions from 20:00 BST on Saturday July 29th to 09:00 BST on Sunday July 30th.

"We have looked at every option for the demolition of this bridge to keep delays to a minimum for road users. By using an explosive charge, we are able to do the job with just one overnight closure of the motorway," said Paul Elliott, project manager for the Agency.

"The work is being carried out at night and at the weekend when traffic flows are lower, but road users are advised to allow extra time for their journey. An exclusion zone will be in place around the bridge prior to the demolition for the safety of all concerned."

A clearly signed diversion will operate via the A640 Elizabethan Way, the A664 Kingsway and the A627 (M) motorway.

The demolition charges will be placed so that the bridge deck will fall onto the motorway carriageway, which will be protected by a crash mat of plywood sheets and a granular material.

Once the bridge is on the carriageway, specialist equipment with hydraulic ‘jaws’ will be brought in to demolish what is left of the bridge, so that it can be removed and the motorway re-opened as quickly as possible.

The new Kingsway Business Park is expected to create thousand of jobs in an area disadvantaged by problems of industrial decay.

Improvements to Junction 21 include the construction of a new dual carriageway and two roundabouts between the eastbound exit slip road and the existing A640 (Elizabethan Way) roundabout, and modifications to the existing eastbound and westbound exit slip road.

As part of the scheme, the subway from the south side of the M62 to Moor Bank Lane will be closed and the footpath diverted westward towards Dig Gate Lane.

The junction improvements are being overseen by the Agency and paid for by Wilson Bowden Development and the North West Development Agency in association with Rochdale MBC.