Skip to main content

Cheshire’s M6 to become smart motorway

Draft regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits as part of the planned smart motorway upgrade to 18 and a half miles of the M6 in Cheshire were published this week for consultation with key stakeholders. Highways England is planning to start construction work on the US$299 to US$427 million project between junction 16 at Crewe and junction 19 at Knutsford later this year. The hard shoulder will be converted into a permanent extra running lane and smart motorway technology installed to give
July 2, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Draft regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits as part of the planned smart motorway upgrade to 18 and a half miles of the M6 in Cheshire were published this week for consultation with key stakeholders.

8101 Highways England is planning to start construction work on the US$299 to US$427 million project between junction 16 at Crewe and junction 19 at Knutsford later this year. The hard shoulder will be converted into a permanent extra running lane and smart motorway technology installed to give drivers more reliable journeys. Variable mandatory speed limits will be used to manage traffic speeds and help reduce congestion, whilst enabling safe operation of the motorway.

Introducing the variable mandatory speed limits on the motorway requires new regulations. These new draft regulations have been published for comment with consultation packs being sent to key stakeholders, such as local authorities, transport associations and emergency services.

Construction of the smart motorway scheme is scheduled to start between October and December this year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Major road schemes to reduce road congestion and boost economy
    April 11, 2013
    The Highways Agency is to deliver a further twenty-two schemes in the UK’s north-west to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety in the third, and final, stage of its pinch point programme. The schemes, representing an investment of US$47.7 million, will remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. Nationally, this stage of the programme comprises 58 schemes, worth US$151 million, that will be delivered by March 2015 and will bring an estimated US$2.1
  • Priority boosts ridership and cuts congestion
    May 4, 2016
    Transit priority is proving a win-win in Europe and Australia. David Crawford reports. Technology that integrates with the Australian-originated Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) is driving bus signal priority and performance analysis initiatives on both sides of the world; in its homeland, with a major deployment in 2015, and in the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
  • Technology trial a first for roads scheme
    April 7, 2016
    A US$124.8 million (£88.4 million) project to upgrade access to one of the UK’s busiest ports is trialling the use of technology to improve the monitoring of highway equipment located along the road, such as street lighting and drainage, to aid future maintenance. Contractors working on the A160 Port of Immingham improvement scheme are using the RedBite asset tool, developed by a Cambridge-based company, to tag Highways England owned assets. RedBite is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge and a m
  • Transport Focus: Highways England need to equip driver knowledge of smart highways
    September 28, 2017
    The UK’s drivers need help to better understand Smart Motorways, Red X signs and breakdown procedures, according to research by Transport Focus, an independent transport user watchdog. Its research showed that safety is not at the forefront of drivers’ minds and few know what to do in the event of a breakdown.