By Victoria Brenan

Last updated at 12:46, Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Drivers have been warned about motorway work as two separate schemes are launched this week.

Work totalling £755,000 will take place around junctions 40 and 41 over the next few weeks and includes £166,000 of resurfacing, which got underway last night.

Drivers have been warned of possible delays while a mile of lane one is resurfaced between now and Saturday,

The resurfacing will take place overnight – from 8pm to 6am – and will see both lanes one and two of the southbound carriageway closed.

The southbound exit and entry slips at junction 41 – for Wigton – will also be closed intermittently during the overnight roadworks and diversions put in place.

Meanwhile, a separate £281,000 project north of junction 41 along the northbound carriageway also began yesterday.

The three-week scheme involves resurfacing the hard shoulder as well as renewing road studs and white lining along the main carriageway along a two-mile section of the northbound carriageway between Penrith and Southwaite services.

During the day, work will be done only in the hard shoulder with a lane one closure for safety.

The carriageway stud and road marking renewal will be taking place overnight when traffic volumes are lowest and will require two lanes of the motorway to be closed at any given time.

The Highways Agency said no work would take place over the Easter weekend.

A third scheme around Junction 40 of the motorway starts next Monday but will be completed by March 28 ahead of the Easter break.

The £308,000 scheme involves resurfacing the hard shoulder and lanes along about a mile and a half of the southbound carriageway south of Penrith near Clifton.

All the work will be done overnight between 8pm and 6am with lane closures and a section of the slipway closed. A 50mph speed limit will be in place at all the roadworks.

Highways Agency project sponsor Peter Gee said all three schemes involved maintenance work to tackle ‘wear and tear.’

“They will ensure that drivers can continue to enjoy safe, smooth and reliable journeys,” he said.

“We have timed the works to minimise inconvenience to road users.”

First published at 11:36, Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk