M1 closure warning ahead of smart motorway works

Just one lane of the southbound carriageway will remain open tonight and the northbound side will be closed as the Highways Agency installs the overhead gantry, which will carry message and variable speed limit signs.

It is part of the motorway’s conversion to smart motorway, which aims to tackle congestion..

The gantry — which will span both the northbound and southbound carriageways of the motorway — is approximately 47 metres wide, weighs up to 30 tonnes and will require a special 200 tonne crane to help install it as well as an overnight closure of the northbound carriageway.

The gantry will be erected between junction 35 at Thorpe Hesley and junction 36 at Birdwell overnight between 9pm and 6am.

The closure could be postponed if strong winds are forecast.

The smart motorway scheme, between junction 32 of the M1 at Thurcroft and junction 35a (the Stocksbridge turning), will see the latest technology being used to monitor traffic levels and keep vehicles moving by using variable speed limits.

The hard shoulder will also be permanently converted into an extra lane to increase capacity.  

Highways England project manager Arun Sahni said: “The erection of a ‘superspan’ is a big job that calls for a night closure on the northbound carriageway, but then they're very big structures.

“You really get a sense of their size when they are on the ground waiting to go up.

“This gantry is also close to an overhead electric cable which is why we need to close the carriageway, so it’s important for people who use the motorway at night to plan their journeys.”

Diversions will be place by exiting at junction 35 and turning left onto the A629 Cowley Lane.

The northbound carriageway will also be closed overnight between the slip roads at junction 35 tomorrow (Tuesday, June 21).

Drivers can find details of the closures, and stay up to date with the latest developments, by visiting www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m1-junctions-32-35a.