Work is due to begin on installing an overhead gantry on the M1 motorway near Sheffield.

Contractors will begin erecting the 30-tonne structure between 9pm – 6am from tonight, 20 June.

The project is part of a £106 million smart motorway scheme between junction 32 of the M1 at Rotherham and junction 35a at Stocksbridge.

The 47-metre wide gantry, which will span both the northbound and southbound carriageways of the motorway, will be erected between junction 35 at Rotherham and junction 36 at Barnsley.


To carry out the scheme safely, the road will be closed overnight and diversions will be in place.

Highways England project manager Arun Sahni said: "The erection of a 'superspan' is a big job that calls for a night closure on the northbound carriageway, but then they're very big structures. You really get a sense of their size when they are on the ground waiting to go up.

"This gantry is also close to an overhead electric cable which is why we need to close the carriageway, so it's important for people who use the motorway at night to plan their journeys."

(LM/MH)