All lanes of M18 reopened after lorry driver killed after crashing into central reservation

A man in his 60s died after a lorry crashed into the central reservation and caught fire.

More than 70 metres of metal and concrete barriers were damaged in the incident.

The southbound carriageway was also damaged and had to be resurfaced.

Rolling road blocks will be put in place on both carriageways after 9pm tonight to enable a temporary 50mph speed limit to be introduced, signs installed and lane two reopened in both directions.

National Highways Service Delivery Manager Mandy Foster said “Although we were able to repair the metal barrier on Tuesday, repairing the concrete barrier is presenting some challenges because the incident damaged the section where the metal merges into the concrete.

"We’ve carried out a temporary repair but it’s going to take around three weeks before we can complete the permanent fix.

“We want to keep traffic moving so have taken the decision to reopen lane two on both carriageways but with a mandatory 50mph speed limit in place for the safety of the travelling public.

“To keep our workforce safe we will have to briefly hold traffic under a rolling road block while we install signs and remove the lane closures. Disruption should be minimal and we thank drivers for their patience.”