MOTORWAY drivers face nearly nine months of delays as road re-surfacing gets underway on the busy M66.

The £4.1m workwill affect the entire length of the motorway, from Edenfield to the interchange with the M60 near Whitefield.

Preliminary work, which also includes bridge refurbishment, started on Monday with the main works set to start on February 2. It is due to continue until September.

The work will involve contraflow systems, narrow lanes and some overnight lane and occasional slip road closures. A 50 mph speed limit will be enforced throughout the work, using safety cameras.

"This is a very busy section of motorway and the work is necessary to keep the M66 up to the highest in safety and maintenance standards," said project manager Freda Rashdi.