M60 closure leaves drivers stranded for hours

Drivers in Manchester have reported being stranded for hours after planned motorway closures over the weekend.

The disruption on the M60 near Simister Island led to congestion on roads across Prestwich and Higher Blackley.

National Highways closed the motorway between junction 17 and 18 to remove five overhead gantries as part of a major upgrade project.

Catherine Kedward was travelling from Atherton to Chadderton on Sunday with her five-year-old daughter.

After leaving the motorway at Whitefield, a 20-minute journey turned into a six-and-a-half-hour diversion.

She said the delays had left her daughter hungry, thirsty and needing the toilet, forcing her to improvise with a welly boot.

"It was horrific," she said.

Residents living along designated diversion routes have also described severe knock-on delays throughout the weekend.

Another resident said plans to go shopping were abandoned because the motorway closure had made travel too difficult.

A third described trying alternative routes to avoid congestion, only to find them heavily clogged as well.

He said: "Instead of coming down Sheepfoot Lane, we went on Middleton Road thinking that might be better.

"Unfortunately, even that was clogged up as well. It took us about half an hour longer than it would normally take. I had to ask my brother to drop me off on the road rather than outside the house."

Despite the delays, he said he hoped the works would improve journeys through the busy interchange in the future.

The closures are part of a scheme to upgrade Simister Island, which National Highways said would create extra capacity, improve traffic flow and support future housing, employment and economic growth across the city region.

The project is expected to cost nearly £300m and is scheduled for completion in 2029.

Further disruption is planned, with another weekend closure of the route due between 10 and 12 October.

National Highways project manager Nicola Eastwell said: "The removal of these gantries is an important next step in delivering the scheme.

"We understand the inconvenience this work will cause and would like to thank the local community, including road users, for their continued support and patience while we complete this work."

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