DRIVERS are being advised that junction 17 of the M6 will be totally closed to all traffic for a whole weekend later this month as work on a £2.3 million upgrade forges ahead.


Work to upgrade junction 17 by improving motorway joining and leaving arrangements began in November and is on course to be completed by March.


Most of the work so far has involved daily overnight closures of the slip roads and the A534 between Sandbach and Congleton which runs over the motorway at junction 17. The same closures will be needed for a whole weekend later this month from 8pm on Friday, January 23, to 6am on Monday, January 26.


While the main carriageway of the motorway will be unaffected by this particular work, bridge repairs elsewhere along the motorway the same weekend will mean alternate overnight closures of the main carriageway between junction 18 and junction 16.


Drivers normally using junction 17 will in any case have to use either junction 18 or junction 16 to join or leave the motorway during the weekend junction closure.


Jakub Malaj, Highways Agency project manager, said: “We would like to thank drivers and other local people for their patience so far as work progresses.


“Clearly-signed diversions will be in place for anyone normally joining or leaving the motorway at junction 17 and drivers should leave a little bit of extra time to complete journeys.”