Part of Lancashire’s busiest motorway was meant to close this weekend for roadworks but has been postponed for the Queen’s funeral.  

The M6 soutbound, between junctions 33 and 32, was meant to be closed Friday to Sunday (September 16 to 18) weekend as part of ongoing “essential bridge safety and maintenance work”.

Planned closures of major routes in and out of London will now also be postponed to reduce congestion as large numbers of people travel to the capital for ceremonial and commemorative events to mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

John McNeill, National Highways’ head of service delivery said: “We expect the roads to be busy with people looking to travel into the capital and to other royal residences over the weekend.

“Our traffic officer patrols will be out on the network to help anyone who might get into difficulty, but it’s important people remember to check their vehicle before setting off.

“The last thing anybody wants on the way to their destination is to have a vehicle breakdown. That’s why it’s really important that people spend a few minutes checking the condition of their tyres before setting off.”   

Many motorists were left feeling outraged at the weekend after reportedly being stuck for hours on the M6 due to the planned closure.

Some motorists said they were stuck on the motorway for eight hours and others said the closure lead to health and safety concerns.

Alan Shepherd, National Highways' divisional director, said this weekend’s maintenance postponement will allow the company to look at how they can minimise disruption in the future.

He said:  “As the nation pays its respects to Queen Elizabeth, planned full closures on the M6 are being paused this weekend.

“This will allow National Highways more time to review its plans for future weekend closures and make any necessary changes to minimise disruption.

“We continue to advise road users to check their routes before setting off using live traffic information on the Traffic England website, to allow extra time for their journeys and to familiarise themselves with diversion routes if necessary."

Work will be carried out on the weekends of September 23 and 30. The northbound carriageway between junctions 33 and 32  will be closed again from 9pm on Friday nights until 5am Monday morning.

To carry out the bridge strike repair, two roads under each bridge, Whittingham Lane (B5269) and Stubbins Lane will be closed during the weekend of Friday, September 30, until Monday, October 3.