Driver warning ahead of Walsall M6 bridge demolition

The demolition comes following the construction of two replacement bridges

Drivers are being warned to expect disruption ahead of the closure of a motorway junction in the West Midlands to allow for bridge demolition works.

Junction 10 of the M6, near Walsall, will be closed from 20:00 BST on Friday to 06:00 on Monday to enable the safe removal of the bridge.

It is the latest stage in a £78m upgrade of the junction in a bid to cut congestion.

National Highways advised drivers to take alternative routes if possible.

The two existing bridges, which carry traffic over the motorway, are being replaced by new structures, which will double the number of lanes around the junction from two to four.

They have been built next to the existing 50-year-old bridges to enable traffic to switch over to the new ones when completed and minimise the impact of the work on motorists and local communities.

The south bridge will be demolished this weekend, with the north bridge expected to be removed later this month.

During the closure, motorists will be diverted off the motorway at junction 10, travel over the roundabout and rejoin the M6 on the other side.

Senior network planner Frank Bird said two lanes of the new bridge had opened to motorists on Friday morning.

"From early tomorrow morning [Saturday] we start nibbling the bridge down," he said.

"We have got some huge machines that literally will munch away at both ends... gravity brings the bridge down on to the deck below... and then we continue munching it until it is all in small enough pieces that we can put on the back of lorries and drive away over the weekend.

"That bridge has been there for nearly 50 years, there is a tinge of sadness that we are having to demolish it, but the old bridge was getting towards the end of its life... it was a natural pinch point and stopped and really frustrated drivers."