At M65 Junction 5, the first visible step in a £30m upgrade is rearranging traffic lanes. Temporary closures are in place to install traffic management that creates a protected work area around live motorway traffic.
This initial phase is essential. It makes space for workers to operate safely beside the busy junction before any new structures or road layouts appear.
Eight minutes, two cones
Cones, narrow lanes, lane shifts and closures might seem disruptive, but they form the backbone of live-road working on major schemes. At motorway junctions, where slip roads, local and long-distance traffic intersect, creating a clear, safe temporary layout is critical.
The temporary traffic management consists of lanes, tapers, signs, barriers and closures arranged to keep traffic moving while enabling construction in tight spaces. Getting this right avoids months of full junction closures.
A live junction, not an empty site
Unlike a greenfield site, motorway junctions are complex systems with constant vehicle movement and fast driver decisions. The temporary layout must separate people and plant from live traffic, while remaining clear and predictable.
Balfour Beatty, working on the scheme, explains that closures are necessary to install traffic management and ensure a safe working environment before main works begin.
Working around drivers and engineers
Motorists experience this phase as disruption. Narrow lanes and closure signs are frustrating but are part of enabling the overall improvement to the junction.
For contractors and engineers, it marks a transition from planning to active construction on site. This temporary arrangement often has to be more complicated than the finished road design to accommodate safe working on a live carriageway.
What’s next on M65 Junction 5
With traffic management in place, the project can proceed without closing the junction entirely. This approach keeps traffic moving in Lancashire, where similar live-road projects have balanced safety and access during major works.
The approved £30m scheme will reshape the junction to improve traffic flow and safety once disruptive setup phases are complete.
The early weeks of the project will look like admin on tarmac to drivers. But they are vital steps to protect workers and maintain road use while rebuilding the junction.
Ultimately, the temporary lane swaps and closures make the £30m upgrade possible. For contractors, authorities and road users, understanding this phase helps set realistic expectations for the coming months.
