MOTORISTS are being warned that essential bridge maintenance starts today to replace 40 corroded bearings on the M6's junction 22 bridges.

The Highways England work, between Junctions 21a and 23, is likely to last for six months.

It will be carried out in a number of phases, largely during daytime hours, Monday to Friday, between 7.30am and 5pm, with some work taking place outside these times.

Project Manager Mark Mosley said: “We discovered the corrosion during regular maintenance work in 2014.

"At the time, we installed a temporary solution to keep the bridge in good order until we could schedule the work, which is a long job.

“We’ve designed a programme that keeps disruption to a minimum, using lane closures.

"We’re only going to need full night closures to install the traffic management.”

Narrow lanes and a reduced speed limit will be in place throughout the works for safety of drivers and those working on the scheme.

In order to install the narrow lanes, night closures will be in place on the M6 between Junctions 21a and 23: Northbound on 9 October 2016, and southbound on 10 October between the hours of 8pm and 5am, subject to traffic flows.

Additional closures will be required in December/January at the end of the project to remove the narrow lanes.

Localised signed diversion routes will be in place.