M6 drivers to test out four lanes
The hard shoulder of the M6 through the Black Country will be open to traffic for the first time today creating four lanes in a trial run for the £150 million project, highways bosses have announced.
The hard shoulder of the M6 through the Black Country will be open to traffic for the first time today creating four lanes in a trial run for the £150 million project, highways bosses have announced.
The stretch between junctions 10A and 8 will be opened up from 8am to 11am.
It is being fully trialled for the first time and another test run will take place next weekend to iron out any problems ahead of the complete introduction by May.
It means motorists will be able to drive along the hard shoulder between Wolverhampton to the M5 interchange at Ray Hall in West Bromwich.
Once in full force all four lanes are expected to operate at peak periods from around 7.30-9.30am and 4-6pm. It will also be opened up in case of other lanes closures.
There will always be a 60mph speed restriction during these times.
Around 100 lane cameras have been installed along with refuge points every 800 metres as work has been carried out over more than two years.
Gantries and variable speed signs have also been introduced as the Highways Agency aims to follow the success of a similar managed motorway scheme on the M54 where queues have been cut and fewer accidents recorded.
