M6 reopens after 11-hour closure to remove bridge - with VIDEO and PICTURES
The M6 in Staffordshire was fully reopened this morning after an 11-hour overnight closure for a bridge to be removed.
Work to remove the 800-ton, 250ft-long Creswell Home Farm bridge, north of Stafford, meant the section of motorway between Junction 14 for Stafford and 15 for Stoke-on-Trent was closed in both directions from 8pm on Saturday, with diversion routes in place.
The bridge was no longer in use and was too narrow for the upgraded smart motorway being constructed, which will have an extra lane in each direction.
Motorists had been warned that the closure could last up to 24 hours depending on how the removal operation went but this morning police said had been completed ahead of schedule and the motorway reopened at around 7.30am.
Highways England said two bridge 'piers' remain either side of the road over the hard shoulder lanes but that these "are perfectly safe to travel under and will be removed in the next few weeks".
Earlier Highways England posted:
