DRIVERS and rail passengers are facing travel chaos as a major motorway is set to close for an entire weekend, with a five-mile diversion in place.
The route will be closed in both directions while a huge rail bridge is replaced.
The 2,000-tonne crossing runs over the M62 between J18 and J20, near Castleton, Yorkshire.
Over the course of the shutdown, workers will dismantle the bridge and use the M62 to transport the fragments away.
This means the roughly 144,000 vehicles that use the road every day will not be able to access the stretch between J18 and J20 eastbound and between J19 and J20 westbound.
It will also mean a suspension of the line between Manchester Picadilly and Rochdale, with no trains connecting the areas for several weeks.
The initial closure to demolish the bridge will run from 9pm on September 6 and 6am on September 9.
However, a second closure will be brought in a couple of weeks later for a replacement bridge to be erected.
This will last from 9pm on September 20 to 6am on September 23.
Outside of those periods, the road will also be reduced to three lanes between July 28 and October 18, while the J19-20 stretch will close from 9pm to 6am nightly from September 9 to September 20.
For drivers, a five-mile diversion has been put in place, taking them through the town of Middleton on A-roads to skirt around the closure.
The railway, meanwhile, will be unavailable from from September 6 until the early hours of September 25.
Rail replacement busses will be provided and passengers are being urged to check their bookings ahead of time to see if they are affected.
Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern Rail, said: “I would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding whilst this important infrastructure work takes place.
“Rail replacement buses will be operating services between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale so customers can still get where they want to be – but journey times will be longer.”
Network Rail sponsor Olivia Boland added: “The replacement of Castleton bridge is essential for the safe running of our railway, and crucial to the country’s economy as 6% of the UK’s energy supply relies on the bridge for transportation.
“I’d like to thank passengers and motorists for their understanding while we carry out this work. It is a unique project that sees weekend closures of the M62 for the first time.
“Please, check before you travel on the M62 or between Manchester and Rochdale from 6 until 25 September 2024.”
