Major upgrade scheme set to start on 11 mile stretch of M6
Contractor Costain has landed a £150m contract to upgrade one of the busiest stretches of the M6 motorway.
The company has announced it will be working on the upgrade of the M6 to a smart motorway from Junction 21A Croft Interchange to the Orrell Interchange at Junction 26.
The work, which is due to start in September and last three years, will be the latest in a series of major motorway projects across the North West.
Work on upgrading the M60 is nearing completion and a stretch of the M6 in Cheshire is currently undergoing major works.
A statement has been released to the Stock Exchange by Costain.
It read: “Under the contract Costain will design and deliver the smart motorway scheme across a 16km length of the M6 to increase capacity and improve journey reliability on this strategic highway.
“The scheme will involve the installation of road-side technology and new infrastructure focused on improving the driver experience.
“The contract, worth approximately £150m and awarded under the collaborative delivery framework, is expected to be completed by Spring 2021.
Andrew Wyllie, chief executive, said: “This contract builds on our strong track record, working with Highways England, to apply technology-based solutions to increase the capacity and improve the reliability of the UK’s road infrastructure.”
Highways England said: “The M6 between junctions 21a and 26 is a key strategic route carrying high volumes of vehicles between the North West, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
“Smart motorways are a technology driven approach to tackling the most congested parts of the motorway network, improving journey reliability by controlling the flow and speed of traffic.”
The design features of the M6 J21a to J26 smart motorway scheme include:
• variable mandatory speed limits
• driver information, including lane availability, provided through a mixture of gantries and cantilever signs
• queue detection and automatic signalling system, which provides queue protection and congestion management
• comprehensive low light pan-tilt-zoom CCTV coverage
• refuge areas where drivers can stop in an emergency
