Start of main construction on Yorkshire’s first Managed Motorway scheme welcomed by Roads Minister
Major construction work on a vital £150m scheme to increase capacity, reduce congestion and improve safety on the M62 in West Yorkshire was officially started today by Roads Minister Mike Penning.
When the scheme is complete in 2013/14, road users will benefit from improved journey times thanks to the use of variable speed limits to smooth out traffic flows and opening up the hard shoulder as an extra traffic lane.
The managed motorway scheme – the first of its kind in the North of the country – covers a 15.5-mile section of the M62 between Junction 25 (Brighouse) and Junction 30 (Rothwell).
It is one of 14 schemes due to start before 2015 being delivered as part of a £1.4bn Government package of strategic road projects to boost the economy.
Roads Minister Mike Penning said:
"While this will be Yorkshire’s first managed motorway, experience elsewhere in the country shows that they deliver significant safety and journey time benefits. That’s why I am delighted work is getting underway today to provide much-needed additional capacity for more than 140,000 road users that travel on this key route daily.
"This start of work shows the Government is delivering on its promise to invest in transport schemes that reduce congestion, improve safety, and support economic growth.
"It’s also good news for jobs. At the height of construction, around 400 people will be working on this scheme."
The first phase of construction will focus on the stretch between Junction 27 (Gildersome) and Junction 28 (Tingley), with construction on other sections starting in phases from next month. The scheme will include overhead gantries and the construction of emergency refuge areas alongside the hard shoulder.
Three lanes will be kept available for traffic in both directions during the works with a 50mph speed limit, enforced with average speed cameras, in place for the safety of road users and the workforce. Some overnight lane closures will be required during the scheme and full motorway closures (normally overnight) will be required from Spring next year for gantry installation. Work on the scheme is expected to be completed in October 2013.
Highways Agency project manager David Pilsworth said:
"In order to minimise delays to road users, we are carrying out this work in phases and keeping three lanes available to traffic in both directions at peak times throughout the construction. We are also working closely with residents in the area to address any questions they may have."
Preparatory work – site clearance and the installation of traffic management – started in late September.
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