M67 St Anne’s Road bridge replacement project

The bridge that carries St Anne’s Road over the M67 motorway needs extensive repairs. A major construction project to replace St Anne’s Road bridge in Denton is underway.

Start date January 2023
End date 2026
Cost £23 million

Latest updates

  • 14 November 2024

    Public information event this month

    We have successfully completed our demolition phase of works, following two weekend closures to the M67 this autumn. Now the structure has been demolished, further progress can be made to rebuild the bridge. 

    Find out more about our planned work, progress so far and nearby schemes at our public information event:

    • Saturday 23 November, 10am to 4pm
    • St Anne's Church, Denton, Manchester M34 3EB
    • Tea, coffee and refreshments provided
    • Drop-in throughout the day, no appointments required

    We understand the frustration that roadworks can cause and want to thank you for your continued cooperation whilst we undertake this essential work.

    We will publicise closure dates in advance on this webpage and through our daily closures and our regional X page.

  • 31 October 2024

    Watch us demolish St Anne's Road bridge deck

    In October 2024 we demolished the deck of St Anne’s Road bridge during a full weekend closure of the M67.

    To achieve this key milestone, several excavators worked on each carriageway. Using long reach arms and hydraulic jaws, they finished the demolition on Sunday night before the motorway reopened the next morning.

    This video time lapse video shows the demolition from start to finish.

  • 23 September 2024

    M67 full weekend closures this Autumn

    The final phase of demolition works to St Anne’s Road bridge will require two full weekend closures to a section of the M67 this Autumn. 

    Work to demolish the eastern side of the bridge was completed in August 2023 and since then, all necessary cabling has been diverted through two newly installed steel beams which ensure essential services remain on during the final demolition phases. 

    These will take place in October and November 2024 and include removing the bridge deck, followed by the top section of supportive structures at either side of the bridge.

    For the safety of road users and our workforce, we will be closing the M67 between junction 1a at Denton and junction 3 at Hyde.

    Closures

    The closures will be in place from: 

    • 9pm Friday 4 to 5am Monday 7 October 2024
    • 9pm Friday 8 to 5am Monday 11 November 2024

    Diversions

    • Road users travelling between Manchester (M60) and the A57 Snake Pass, A628 and the east of England should follow signed diversion routes between Mottram in Longdendale and Denton Island, junction 24 of the M60.
    • Local traffic in Hyde and Denton should follow the signed diversion on the A57 Hyde Road / Manchester Road.

    M67 weekend closures diversion route map.

    The diversion routes have been developed in consultation with the emergency services and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

    What next?  

    Following the successful demolition, both directions of the M67 will reopen whilst essential works to reconstruct the supporting walls at either side of the bridge get underway.

    This will allow further progress to be made on-site, including the installation of all remaining steel beams. To do this safely, additional carriageway closures on the M67 between junctions 1A and 3 will be required early next year.

    Once confirmed, we will publicise closure dates in advance on this webpage and through our daily closures and our regional X page.

    A huge thank you for your patience and cooperation while we carry out this safety critical work. 

    Stay up to date

    You can keep up to date with what is happening on the M67 St Anne's Road bridge renewal scheme by signing up to email updates

  • 25 July 2024

    Roadworks on A57 Hyde Road

    Since February 2024, we’ve been working with service providers to install permanent and temporary diversions.

    As part of this, BT’s Openreach will be carrying out essential work on the A57 Hyde Road next week.

    This involves diverting telecommunications cabling from the old bridge onto the new bridge beams that were installed earlier this year.

    Work will start on Monday 29 July, taking around two weeks to complete.

    For safety we’ll reduce Hyde Road to single lane traffic between Nisa Local in Denton and the M67 junction 2 exit slip road, with two-way temporary traffic lights in place.

    During the work, we’ll have teams onsite monitoring traffic flows to ensure signals are working as expected. However, delays are likely especially at peak times.

    We’re advising road users to allow extra time to complete journeys and would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

    Once Openreach have completed their work, Electricity North West will then be making diversions to ensure vital services remain on throughout our bridge replacement work.

    This will begin after the August bank holiday weekend and also require roadworks. We’ll be announcing more details next month.

    Maintenance work progressing

    Essential repairs on the M67 between Denton Island (M60 junction 24) and junction 2 near Hyde are progressing well.

    Work began in July to install a low-noise road surface on both carriageways, benefitting the community by minimising noise generated by traffic.

    We're on schedule to finish as planned in early August 2024.

    We're continuing to work overnight Monday to Friday between 8pm and 6am (extended to 7am on weekends). The remaining overnight motorway closures are as follows:

    • Thursday 25 to Wednesday 31 July – M67 westbound junction 3 to Denton Island closed
    • Thursday 1 and Friday 2 August – M67 eastbound Denton Island to junction 3 closed

    Slip roads at junction 1a, 2 and 3 of the M67 will also be closed on these dates.

    During any road closure, diversion routes will be clearly signed. The eastbound diversion will use the A57 Manchester Road North, Seymour Street, A57 Manchester Road/Hyde Road and A627 Clark Way.

    The same route in reverse order will be used for the westbound diversion.

  • 14 June 2024

    Utility diversions

    We’ve been working with service providers to install permanent and temporary utility diversions.

    The steel beams of the bridge will carry water pipes, gas mains and cabling across the motorway,. This means vital utilities will remain on throughout our work.

    We expect to complete this work by the end of summer 2024.

    To finish the work, we’ll need to reduce a small section of the A57 Hyde Road to single lane traffic. This is for the safety of our staff and road users.

    Maintenance work - Denton Island to Hyde

    We're making essential repairs to the M67 in both directions, between Denton Island (M60 junction 24) and junction 2 near Hyde.

    We'll be working from east of Denton Island, just after the railway bridge, to junction 2 of the M67. We'll also carry out repairs to junction 1a westbound entry slip road.

    The work will run from July to early August 2024. It will involve overnight closures (Monday to Friday between 8pm and 6am extended to 7am on Saturdays) at various times on:

    • M67 eastbound Denton Island to junction 3
    • M67 westbound junction 3 to Denton Island
    • Slip roads at junction 1a, 2 and 3 of the M67

    Closures can change at short notice.  Make sure you check the latest information on our daily closures page.

    Diversion

    The eastbound diversion will use the A57 Manchester Road North, Seymour Street, A57 Manchester Road/Hyde Road and A627 Clark Way.

    The westbound diversion is the same route in reverse.

    Diversion routes will be clearly signed.

  • 02 February 2024

    Preparing to install new bridge beams

    Later this month we’ll be installing the first set of new beams on St Anne’s Road bridge.  

    The steel beams, each pair weighing around 97 tonnes, will carry utility cables and pipework, ensuring services such as water, gas and electricity remain on during the next phase of work.

    This work will require some road closures. Please remember that closure details can change at short notice.  For the most up-to-date information, please visit our daily closures page.

    Follow this link to see details of diversion routes we will be using during this road scheme.

    What happens next?  

    Following the installation of the first two beams, we will work with United Utilities, Cadent, Electricity North West and Openreach. Each organisation will make their permanent and temporary diversions, ensuring key services remain on throughout our essential work to replace the bridge. 

    To carry out the utility diversions, we will also need to reduce a small section of the A57 Hyde Road to a single lane of traffic. This is to maintain a safe working area for road users and our staff.  

    Once dates have been confirmed with the utility providers, we will publicise closure dates in advance via our website, social media and local press. 

    A huge thank you for your patience and cooperation while we carry out this safety critical work. 

    Stay up to date

    You can keep up-to-date with what's happening on the M67 St Anne's Road bridge renewal scheme by signing up to email updates

Project information

M67 St Anne’s Road bridge construction sequence

Overview

The existing bridge which carries St Anne’s Road over the M67 motorway requires extensive structural repairs due to its age and its outdated style of construction.

Not taking action to repair the bridge risks the safety of road users in the future.

We believe the best solution is to replace the bridge completely. This is quicker, safer, and more practical than repairing it. Replacing the bridge will mean short-term disruption to residents but it will bring long-term benefits to the area and ensure the safety of road users for decades to come.

The construction of a new bridge will require St Anne’s Road bridge to be closed for approximately three years. We are working closely with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to deliver diversion routes that will limit disruption to local residents and businesses.

To help reduce the disruption, the disused section of St Anne’s Road near the former Penny Farthing pub will be reopened for the duration of the construction project and will act as a diversion route. Pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to use Angel Street footbridge.

We’re currently working to finalise the programme for the main construction work and aim to start construction work in early 2023.

Replacing the existing M67 St Anne’s bridge is the quickest, safest, and most practical option available to us. Our scheme is designed to also have the following benefits:

Extending lifespan

the new bridge will last longer and reduce the need for maintenance and repairs over the decades to come.

Removing restrictions 

The new bridge will meet all required standards for carrying heavy vehicles and remove the current need for load restrictions.

Keeping our utilities on 

Our scheme will allow local utility providers to renew their vital pipelines that run across the bridge.

Recycling the bridge’s existing foundations 

We will reduce the time and cost of this project by keeping as much of the existing structure as possible.

Keeping us safe

New barriers will help to improve safety and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians using St Anne’s Road bridge.

These are the diversion routes approved for this scheme and which we'll be using as needed during the course of works.

M67 weekend closure diversion route

M67 weekend closure local diversion route

Documents

Traffic information

Information about scheduled roadworks and events on our motorways and major roads.

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