DRIVERS using the M6 through Cumbria are being advised that roadworks in place for a major refurbishment of Tebay Bridge are likely to remain until the end of March next year.

Work on the £2.6m repair and maintenance project along the southbound carriageway, just south of junction 38 of the motorway, began in June and was due to be completed by December.

Traffic management including a contraflow arrangement - keeping two lanes moving through the area in both directions - has been working well but is having to be extended into the new year as more work than originally anticipated is needed to repair the bridge which carries the motorway over the River Lune.

The project includes resurfacing the carriageway and renewing bridge deck waterproofing and expansion joints. Bridge concrete sections will also be renewed.

Stripping the old surface and waterproofing and examining the bridge concrete sections has revealed that more extensive repairs are required.

The complexity of removing and re-installing the contraflow system also means it will remain in place over the Christmas and New Year period when the Highways Agency normally removes roadworks across the country to help drivers’ holiday journeys.

For the safety of road workers and drivers the 40mph speed limit, backed by safety cameras through the roadworks, will also remain in place until the repairs are completed.

Special arrangements will also remain for escorting vehicles with abnormal loads past the roadworks. The Highways Agency is working with contractors and other agencies to maintain access for winter service vehicles for the roadworks which, during periods of severe weather, may require a lane closure through the roadworks.

Highways Agency project sponsor Mark Mosley said: "This is an important - if routine - repair project to extend the life of Tebay Bridge and ensure users of the M6 can continue to enjoy safe, smooth and reliable journeys.

“While the contraflow has been working well and we have had no reports of queuing, the arrangements will need to continue into the new year and we would like to thank drivers for their continued patience as we work to complete these repairs.

“In large refurbishment projects like this it is not always possible to exactly predict the extent of repairs needed beneath the road surface until after work has started – and unfortunately this has been the case here.”