M6 roadworks near end at last
Long-running roadworks on the M6 which have reduced the speed limit to 50mph will finally finish in February – Highways bosses have confirmed.
The smart motorway scheme which has been introducing a raft of safety improvements between junctions 10a for the M54 and 13 for Stafford was initially set to be finished by the end of last year, until Highways England pushed it back to January. With the January deadline set to pass, the authority have given a revised date of February.
Sources close to the project have claimed that the latest delays in the multi-million pound scheme were due to the wrong signs being ordered.
But Highways England have strenuously denied this and put the delays down to 'a number of technology issues'.
An unnamed source claimed the signs for the motorway project were the wrong size which had caused a delay. But Highways England have dismissed these claims, insisting it is technology problems that are causing the hold-up as thousands of motorists wait for the stretch of motorway to open fully without the 50mph speed limit.
Dave Cooke, the project manager for Highways England, said in a statement: "There is no issue with signs preventing the opening of the M6 junctions 10a to 13.
"We have been working to resolve a number of technology issues over recent weeks to ensure that we can deliver a smart motorway that is safe and up to the required standards.
"M6 junctions 10a to 13 is one of the schemes that we committed to completing this financial year. Our Delivery Plan sets out that our expectation was for this to be between October and December 2015.
"The work is now largely complete and we expect to be able to fully open the scheme in February this year."
When asked, Highways England refused to expand on what exactly the technology issues were.
An estimated 120,000 vehicles a day travel between junctions 10a and 13 and the work being carried out is designed to alleviate congestion by introducing a raft of measures.
Road sensors have been installed underneath the highway surface to monitor the volume of traffic and how fast vehicles are travelling.
These will work in tandem with overhead gantries which impose temporary speed limits when necessary to improve the flow of traffic or if there is an accident.
