Residents on a tiny Manchester street sandwiched between Heaton Park and the M60 are resigned to another weekend of gridlock as the motorway shuts for 32 hours from Saturday night. The closure, part of the Simister Island upgrade project expected to last until 2030, will see the M60 shut between junctions 17 (Whitefield) and 18 (Simister Island) from 10pm on Saturday (October 10) until 6am on Monday.
Two weeks ago, a similar closure brought what residents described as 'horrendous' bottlenecks to the streets of north Manchester, with traffic forced to divert via Prestwich Village, Heaton Park and Middleton Road. National Highways has warned motorists to expect delays of up to four hours this weekend.
Residents feel trapped
Old Hall Lane, a leafy cul-de-sac off Middleton Road near junction 19 (Heaton Park), is expected to be used by thousands of motorists as a cut-through during the closure. One resident, a 74-year-old who has lived on the street for 20 years and declined to give his name, said: "You need a pair of balls and to take a chance to get out of here on a normal day."
He added: "When this happens, it's feeling trapped and not being able to get out and about. It doesn't bother me too much, but it does my wife. We're close to putting the house on the market, and this probably has played a part in that. The motorway does need upgrading. Traffic is still backing up off the motorway even on a normal day. It means we won't be going to Bury Market or Bury altogether. But there's nowt we can do about it."
Neighbour Steve, 44, who has lived on the street since 2012, said: "They could probably do it quicker than three years. I think they're probably p***ing about a bit. It needs doing but they could have planned it better, like doing it overnight. It now means on a Sunday we just can't go out."
Residents plan ahead
Michelle Smith, 45, said she 'knew what to expect' ahead of the closure. "We're going to have to take different routes, and plan ahead definitely," she said. "I should imagine it's going to get worse over the next three years, but I hope it's going to help. It is what it is, we're used to it with Parklife. We have had to argue with police to get into our own street before. Parklife is a pain in the bum compared to this."
Neil, 47, said he got stuck in the previous closure. "It took us an hour to get to Barton Airport...it normally takes twenty minutes," he said. "It took us through Prestwich to avoid the closure and we were stationary for 20 minutes at one point, we got sent up all these residential roads not meant for traffic. It does affect me 'cause I work in Bury. And it means I won't see my grandchildren this weekend as they live in New Moston."
Neil said he was broadly supportive of the scheme. "If the upgrades work then I'll be pleased, I do think it needs doing and the lighting is bad. But only time will tell," he said. "It's something we needed 30 years ago, why couldn't we have done it sooner? The motorway gets hammered right now. But I've got to swallow it, it's the hand I've been dealt. What's the point in standing around and whinging? You're not going to stop it."
Why the motorway is shutting
Simister Island is one of the North West's busiest motorway junctions, used by more than 90,000 vehicles every day. The project will see it upgraded to five lanes in both directions, with a new loop road to reduce the need for drivers to change at the roundabout. Four huge concrete gantries, which carry motorway signage over the M60, are being removed as part of the scheme. Two were removed during the first part-weekend closure on 26-27 September, which National Highways said was 'successfully completed well within schedule'. Another is set to be removed this weekend.
Francis Oliver, National Highways Senior Project Manager, said: "This is a vital scheme for the north west as Simister Island is used by more than 90,000 vehicles every day, and the M62 corridor is a major trade route between the port cities of Liverpool and Hull. The works will create additional capacity, improve traffic flows and reduce congestion. We appreciate this closure will cause disruption and would like to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work."
The concrete gantries range from 22.75m to 33.25m in length and stand around seven metres tall, each weighing between 90 and 120 tonnes. National Highways said they are being removed "having reached the end of their operational life and will be replaced with new ones designed around the updated junction layout."
Diversion routes for this weekend's closure will be clearly signposted, with full information and a map available on the National Highways website. The transport body said it is working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester, local authorities, Greater Manchester Police, emergency services and partners to keep disruption to a minimum.
