50mph limit on stretch of M6 for more than a year
A stretch of the M6 through Staffordshire will be reduced to 50mph for more than a year while a £200 million congestion-busting project takes place.
The reduced limit will be enforced on a stretch of the motorway between junctions 10a, for the M54, and 13 at Eccleshall.
Once the project is completed, the hard shoulder will be opened up at peak times between Cannock and Stafford to keep traffic flowing. Variable speed limits will also be introduced.
The idea behind the scheme is to ease congestion, increase capacity and reduce journey delays, according to the Highways Agency.
The project is scheduled to start between January and March 2014 and is expected to be completed by spring 2015. A 50mph speed limit will be in place during the work enforced by average speed cameras. Highways Agency spokesman Dave Cooke said: "There currently is a problem along that stretch of road with congestion – 120,000 vehicles use it each day.
"The main reason for the scheme is to increase capacity and improve journey time reliability."
