Time to enjoy the view as viaduct repair heralds delays

It is not one of Yorkshire's prettier landmarks but it is for many, on the drive up from London, the first.

By The Newsroom

Published 6th Jul 2018, 14:59 BST

Updated 16th Jul 2018, 16:50 BST

The Tinsley viaduct, which carries the M1 3,389 feet over the Don Valley, near the Meadowhall shopping mall, was the first two-tier bridge of its kind in the UK, and by last March had been in use for 50 years.

However, the bad news for drivers is that it needs what Highways England calls “a number of vital improvements” to the barriers, footpaths, drains, and road surface of the lower deck.

A £4.5m repair programme beginning in August – bringing diversions and a reduced speed limit likely to cause traffic queues – will see 2.5m of barriers replaced, the steel structure waterproofed, 20,000 square metres of resurfacing laid down.

Project manager Russell Mclean said: “We will be making full use of the road closures by carrying out a range of maintenance and improvement work.”

The original development in 1968 cost £6m. The famous Tinsley towers that stood alongside were felled in 2008.