M1 motorway to be closed overnight

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5, between junction 39 at Durkar and junction 40 at Ossett.

The closures will be in place from 10pm to 6am on both nights and clearly signed diversions will be in place through Wakefield city centre.

David Pilsworth, Highways Agency project manager, said: “We have now completed work on the concrete central reservation barriers on the first section of the motorway between Durkar and Ossett, and we are ready to progress to the next phase of construction here, which will focus on the hard shoulder and verge.

“We are carrying out these closures overnight, when traffic flows are lower, but drivers are asked to plan ahead and allow additional time for their journeys.”

The £120m managed motorway scheme started in November 2013 and aims to reduce congestion between junction 39 at Durkar and junction 42 at Lofthouse, where the M1 meets the M62 motorway.

The Highways Agency hope to have completed the scheme by September 2015.