Major Yorkshire Interchange Closed For Extensive Eight-week Maintenance Work ​

A key Yorkshire interchange at the centre of the M1 and M62 motorway network will undergo essential maintenance work later this month.

Lofthouse Interchange (M1 junction 42 / M62 junction 29) near Leeds requires an eight-week closure to allow engineers to carry out a £3.6 million project on the roundabout’s four bridges.

The structure opened in 1970 and carries 45,000 vehicles per day. It’s a crucial intersection of the M1 and M62 motorways, which helps link cities including Leeds, Hull, Sheffield and York. The work is necessary to maintain this route which is key in supporting the region’s economy.

Closing the roundabout for the duration of the scheme will mean the work can be completed in the shortest time possible, minimising disruption to regular road users. The junction’s free flow link roads, which don’t require drivers to use the roundabout, will remain open and clearly signed diversion routes will be in place for all affected traffic.

Highways England project manager Russel McLean said:

“We understand completely that this work is going to have a large impact on drivers. We’ve looked at various options to complete this work and have spoken to local businesses and stakeholders to gather views. The best option we have is to close the roundabout for eight weeks. The alternative would be to carry out the work in separate sections but this would cause more disruption and require three, six-week closures.

“The roundabout has been experiencing problems with the bridge joints over the last few years. This scheme will allow us to carry out these essential repairs and do additional work to minimise the amount of disruption in future years.”

The work will replace the interchange’s 20 bridge joints, five on each bridge. These help the bridge move in a controlled way when traffic passes over it and during severe weather. The bridges will also be re-waterproofed which will protect the structure and the roundabout will be resurfaced. All the work will create a safe, reliable future journey for drivers using this junction.

The work has been brought forward and is taking place over the summer months and when Covid-19 restrictions are in place so the engineers can make the most of the lower traffic volumes.

The closure will mean that anyone wishing to travel in the following directions will need to follow a signposted diversion route:

M1 northbound to M62 eastbound
M62 eastbound to M1 southbound
M62 westbound to M1 northbound

Diversions will take road users to the next junction on either the M1 or M62 and back to the Lofthouse Interchange where drivers can use the free-flowing link roads which remain open.

Work to close the roundabout will start on 26 June and all closures will be in place by Monday 29 June. The work will take 8 weeks, weather permitting, and further details of the scheme can be found on the Highways England website: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/m1m62-lofthouse-bridge-work.

Regular updates will also be provided via Twitter by following @HighwaysYorks and using #Lofthouse.

Strict safeguarding measures will be in place on site to prevent the spread of COVID19 and will be closely monitored to keep the workforce and road users safe.