Millions for M62 safety improvements
The Highways Agency is to spend more than £9m on safety and other improvements along the M62 around Warrington in Cheshire.
The six month project includes adding a new-style concrete safety barrier in the central reservation and new ‘tiger tail’ lay-outs at the end of the link roads from the M6 onto the M62 at Croft Interchange – allowing drivers to join the eastbound M62 more safely by providing extra entry lanes onto the carriageway.
The work is due to begin on Saturday, September 17 and be completed by the end of March.
As well as a new section of concrete safety barrier and ‘tiger tails’, the £9.5m improvements include new safety barriers between the verge and hard shoulder and moving lighting from the central reservation to the verge to make maintenance safer and reduce disruption for drivers.
Matt Sweeting, the Highways Agency’s regional Asset Delivery Manager, said, "This is a significant investment in this key part of the local motorway network which will improve safety, reduce maintenance visits and associated disruption for drivers and deliver safer, smoother and more reliable journeys for commuters and other users of the motorway.
“We will also be using lane and limited carriageway closures to ensure we carry out routine maintenance at the same time.”
The improvements are taking place along a 4.5 mile section of the motorway between Junction 9 of the motorway at Winwick and Junction 11 at Birchwood.
In detail the work includes:
- Renewing the lighting between Junction 9 and 10 at Croft Interchange and moving the lighting from the central reservation to hard shoulder verges;
- Extending the existing concrete safety barrier west from 11 to Junction 10;
- Improving the roads linking Junction 10 of the M62 with Junction 21a of the M6 at Croft Interchange – one of the busiest motorway intersections in the region.
The improvements will be delivered using day and night lane one and hard shoulder closures and a 50mph speed limit through roadworks. Narrowed lanes will also be used in places.
Some overnight closures of the main motorway carriageway as well as slip roads and the links roads with the M6 will also be needed but these will be publicised in advance and with clearly-signed diversions in place.
Weekly updates and progress reports on the work will be available at http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/32456.aspx
The new project builds on £6.5m worth of improvements along a two-mile stretch of the motorway between junctions 11 and 12 of the motorway near Irlam in spring of last year – including the first stretch of concrete central reservation safety barrier in the area.
The new barriers are stronger and more robust – reducing the risk of vehicles involved in accidents crossing from one side of the motorway to the other and improving the safety of road users and road workers. The barriers are also unlikely to require repairs after vehicle impact.
And in July, at the eastern end of the motorway near Manchester, an improved junction layout along the M62’s eastbound interchange with the M60, including an extra, two-mile running lane, was opened.
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