England’s M20 is expected to re-open Sunday evening, several hours later than initially planned, with extensive safety checks being carried out.
Restrictions on the motorway were initially put in place after a footbridge crashed on to the carriageways on Saturday, sparking hours of traffic chaos on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
The bridge came down between junctions three and four shortly after noon on Saturday when a digger being transported on the back of a lorry collided with it.
The M20 is the main route to the Channel Tunnel and the Port of Dover for travel to France and the rest of the Continent.
A motorcyclist in his 50s was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs following the incident while the driver of the lorry was treated for shock at the scene.
The road was expected to re-open by lunchtime on Sunday, although that has since been put back.
Stuart Thompson, a Highways England spokesman, said: “We have worked overnight and removed part of the structure on the London-bound carriageway.
“We had hoped to reopen by lunchtime. Having done some of these assessments we needed to do more safety work before we re-open it. We will look to get it open again as soon as possible.
“We are look at this evening, hopefully earlier, although we are reluctant to put a time on it.
“It is a very, very complex situation. There are lots of different things needed to be done and we needed to be confident it is safe before we reopen it.”
The bridge collapsed on one of the UK’s busiest travel days of the year.