McCann participates in M1 smart motorway scheme

Civil and electrical engineering firm McCann will help upgrade a 7.5 mile stretch of a major Midlands route as part of the M1 junction 23a – 25 smart motorway scheme. The project stems from an agreement with Highways England and is intended to reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic to improve travel times. Carl Lancaster, operations director for McCann, says: “The finished project will also help to minimise environmental impacts and maximise the capacity of the motorway while ensuring continued
July 16, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Civil and electrical engineering firm McCann will help upgrade a 7.5 mile stretch of a major Midlands route as part of the M1 junction 23a – 25 smart motorway scheme. The project stems from an agreement with 8101 Highways England and is intended to reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic to improve travel times.


Carl Lancaster, operations director for McCann, says: “The finished project will also help to minimise environmental impacts and maximise the capacity of the motorway while ensuring continued driver safety.”

McCann will install 500 lighting columns, 100,000m of lighting cable, 12,000m of lighting duct infrastructure, 40,000m of communication cable and 230 communication cabinets. The company will also install relevant technology to 27 new gantries as well as 13 existing gantries.

The project includes the conversion of the hard shoulder to create a fourth lane between junctions 24 and 25 as well as alterations to accommodate the new lane. Variable speed limits and associated smart motorway systems, CCTV systems and electronic signage, a hardened central reservation and a queue detection system to control congestion will also be implemented.  

McCann will work alongside technology construction companies 2002 Costain and Galliford Try. The project is scheduled to be completed in late 2018.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK’s M3 gets smart
    October 30, 2014
    Work begins shortly on the initial phase of a US$278 million project to improve the M3 between the M25 and Farnborough. The section between junctions 2 and 4a will become a smart motorway, adding a fourth lane in both directions in place of the hard shoulder and adding enhanced on-road technology to keep traffic moving safely and reliably, providing a boost for businesses and the wider economy. The road will also be resurfaced with a new, low noise material. The main works are due to be completed by the
    Read More
  • West Midlands pilots the UK’s first MaaS
    November 14, 2017
    Mobility-as-a-Service is being piloted in the UK’s second largest metropolitan area and will shortly be opened to the travelling public. A fully operational Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering is being piloted in the West Midlands region of the UK. Covering seven local authorities which make up the West Midlands metropolitan area and population of 2.8 million, the service is being provided through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Finnish company MaaS Global
    Read More
  • Average speed cameras go live on Scotland’s motorway upgrade
    July 17, 2015
    Average speed cameras are due to go live across the US$780 million M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project in Scotland. It is hoped they will encourage a safe and steady traffic flow by monitoring the average speed of vehicles through the works to ensure the safety of both road users and road workers. The cameras are expected to go live on 20 July and will remain in place until the completion of the project in spring 2017.
    Read More
  • Australia highway to receive smart tech 
    October 12, 2021
    Smart motorway tech will be installed between Pine River and Caloundra Road
    Read More

Highlighted Content