Work set to start on one of busiest stretches of motorway in the region

Manchester engineering firm WSP has landed a contract to work on the £104m upgrade of one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the North West.

The engineering consultancy has been appointed as the design partner supporting a BAM Nuttall Morgan Sindall joint venture.

The firm is working on the two-stage design and build smart motorways contract to upgrade the M62 between Warrington (J10) and Manchester (J12).
WSP will provide engineering and design services including highways; Geotech; structures and environment.

It will also supply specialist expertise from its Intelligent Transport Services team to upgrade the nine-mile stretch of motorway which forms part of a key strategic route between Liverpool and Manchester.

WSP will be supported by AECOM, 4way and Ramboll.

The project will include the design and delivery of new infrastructure to transform this section of road into an All Lane Running Smart Motorway – permanently converting the hard shoulder into a running lane to add much needed additional capacity.

New traffic technology will be used to improve safety, reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic including:

• Variable speed limits
• Queue detection and automatic signalling system
• CCTV and monitoring equipment
• Driver information including lane availability provided through a mixture of gantries and
cantilever signals
• Refuge areas where drivers can stop in an emergency

 
WSP’s appointment is one of the first smart motorway schemes to be awarded under Highways England’s new ‘Design and Build’ procurement model.

WSP’s Smart Roads programme director Phil Barton said: “The scheme will help facilitate economic growth within the region by providing much needed capacity on this busy stretch of motorway, reducing the cost of delays to both commuters and business traffic.

“We are delighted to have been selected as bmJV’s design partner on one of the first design and build smart 2motorway schemes.

This represents another significant appointment for WSP as we continue to both support Highways England’s Smart Motorways Programme and strengthen our position within the design and build market place.”

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