The M62 was closed in both directions earlier today (Sunday, November 18) due to a police incident at Scammonden Bridge.
Both carriageways were closed on the approach to the bridge after reports of a man falling shortly before 11am.
The westbound carrigeway reopened less than an hour later, while the eastbound carriageway remained closed for almost two hours before reopening at around 12:30pm.
West Yorkshire Police later confirmed that a man died in the incident.
We'll bring you all the latest updates on this ongoing incident throughout the day in our live blog, so stick with us for the latest information.
If you have any pictures or information of the extent of the traffic that you would like to share, send a message to us on 07786313491.
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Key Events
More on police confirmation
Here’s the full story after police confirmed a man died in this morning’s incident on the M62.
Traffic moving freely
Here’s a look at how things are right now.
On the left, traffic is seen to be moving freely towards Manchester.
The eastbound carriageway on the right, which was chock-a-block not too long ago, is now back to normal.
All lanes have reopened
The incident has cleared and all lanes on the eastbound carriageway have now reopened too.
Man who fell from bridge has died
West Yorkshire Police have confirmed that the man who fell from Scammonden Bridge has died as a result of his injuries.
Big queues remain eastbound
This is how things are looking at junction 22 on the M62 right now.
Two lanes have reopened to allow traffic to pass, but that means that two lanes are still closed - leading to lots of congestion further back along the motorway.
Further delays at Ripponden Road crossroads
Justine has been back in touch to say:
Looks like the junction at Ripponden Road crossroads has been causing a backlog (one hour to get through).
A car has gone off the kerb there too and is hanging off, so it is causing chaos there.
The A640 from Huddersfield into Denshaw is still at a standstill - but it’s moving freely towards Huddersfield as least now!
Photo looking towards Scammonden Bridge from Outlane
This is the current state of the M62 at Scammonden Bridge.
- On the left is the westbound carriageway heading from Leeds to Manchester. It is now fully open and there are no traffic problems.
- On the right is the eastbound carriageway heading towards Leeds. All three lanes are extremely slow moving as Highways England are only allowing limited traffic through at the moment.
Taking the scenic route
Yes, plenty of people are stuck in traffic... but it’s not all bad!
Catherine’s been in touch to tell us about the ‘lovely scenic route’ that she’s taken after being diverted off at junction 22!
It’s a lovely scenic route, but then I hit traffic at Denshaw before going into the A640 onto Huddersfield Road.
Julie: 'Traffic moving slowly'
Another LeedsLive reader, Julie, has just been in touch with us to say:
The incident on the M62 eastbound has cleared and the traffic is moving, albeit slowly.
Eastbound carriageway reopens
Great news if you’re heading towards Leeds - but this is going to take some time.
Two lanes will remain closed and traffic will be slowly allowed to start moving again on the eastbound carriageway.
Sam: 'Westbound traffic still slow'
Although the westbound carriageway was reopened almost an hour ago, LeedsLive reader Sam has been in touch to tell us there are still delays of more than 20 minutes.
They’re still stuck in slow-moving traffic.
Update from LeedsLive reader Justine
Justine has been in touch with us to say:
Traffic is being diverted on A629 from M62 eastbound.
It’s bumper to bumper by Clough Manor right now in stop start traffic.
We are dropping down into Denshaw but not even crossed Oldham Road yet.
We’ve been sitting here for about 20 minutes and we can just see traffic ahead that’s hardly moving.
Where to get help
Amidst everything that’s happening this morning, it’s important to remember that help is out there if you need it.
10-minute journey taking almost an hour and a half
Travelling eastbound from junction 21 to junction 24 would usually take around 10 minutes with no traffic.
But instead, it will take drivers almost an hour and a half to get from Milnrow to Ainley Top once they’ve snaked their way along the diversion route.
If you’re stuck in the traffic jam, be prepared to be sat in your car for quite a while longer!
Diversion route in full
People travelling eastbound on the M62 are being diverted off at junction 22 and taken through:
- Rishworth
- Ripponden
- Sowerby Bridge
- Elland
Drivers are being told to follow the hollow black circle on a yellow background on the following roads:
- A672
- A58
- A6142
- A58
- A646
- A629
They’ll then be brought back onto the motorway at junction 24.
What we know so far
- The emergency services were called to the scene to reports that a man had fallen from a bridge
- A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said they were alerted at 10:56am
- The motorway was closed in both directions to allow the air ambulance to land
- The westbound carriageway reopened shortly before 11:45am
- The eastbound carriageway remains closed
Westbound carriageway reopens
Traffic should be flowing normally in the westbound carriageway shortly after it was reopened.
Of course, there’ll be some residual traffic as the queue starts moving once again, but it shouldn’t take too long for normal service to resume.
If you’re travelling west though, you’re still in a bit of a pickle.
Westbound carriageway reopening
Well this is good news.
The westbound carriageway looks like it’ll be reopening.
Three miles of traffic jams
The queues are already starting to build up in both directions on the M62.
The congestion is tailing back three miles from junction 22 on the eastbound carriageway.
There is a also a three-mile queue from junction 24 on the westbound carriageway, where cars are being diverted of the motorway.
Traffic being diverted off motorway
Eastbound traffic is being diverted off the M62 at junction 22.
M62 to be closed for some time
Highways England have tweeted to say that the road will be closed ‘for some time’.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance are heading to the scene along with police and paramedics.