Motorway upgrades set to improve drivers’ journeys

Part of the M60 smart motorway

Work will begin as planned this autumn to upgrade another stretch of the M62 between Rochdale and Brighouse in West Yorkshire.

Smart motorway upgrades to junctions 20 to 25 will be constructed over the coming years, as part of Highways England’s £100 million investment in maintenance work across the North West. 

Following feedback from road users, Highways England is changing the timing of some of its roadworks to help reduce the impact of roadworks on drivers.

It means that work on projects to add extra lanes and better technology to upgrade a four-mile-stretch of the M56 near Manchester Airport, will now start by spring 2020, after current major motorway upgrades have been completed.

Highways England has also set out plans to improve how smart motorway projects are carried out on the North West’s motorways in the future.

They include changes to the layout of roadworks to reduce the need for overnight diversions and finish schemes sooner. Temporary speed limits will also be increased to 60mph when it is safe for drivers and road workers, and three lanes will be maintained in each direction during the day throughout upgrades.

Mike Bull, Highways England’s smart motorways programme manager for the North West, said: “Hundreds of thousands of people across the North West will benefit from a huge investment on the road network over the next few years and we’re keen to help keep drivers moving while the upgrades take place.

“We’ve listened to what people have been telling us about roadworks and have decided to reschedule two major schemes, benefitting drivers who use our roads to get to work and businesses who deliver goods across the region. We’re committed to the upgrades; we are simply changing the timetable for projects on the M56 and M6.

“We’re also reviewing how we carry out major upgrades so that we can minimise disruption as much as possible and maintain connections for drivers using the road network.”

Greater Manchester’s first smart motorway between junction 8 of the M60 at Sale and junction 20 of the M62 at Rochdale went live in August 2018.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/121039/greater-manchesters-first-smart-motorway-is-fullyoperational