Upgrade of the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire to smart motorway standard has been completed. The £174M project involved converting the hard shoulders to extra traffic lanes beside a 21.5km section of the motorway in both directions between Farnborough and the M25.

 

Last of the cones was removed overnight on Friday. Work to test and commission new technology installed as part of the project will continue for a short period, with a 50MPH limit in place for several weeks.

 

Highways England project manager Pranav Devale said: “This new stretch of smart motorway will tackle congestion and improve journey times for the 130,000 drivers who use it every day.

 

“Drivers will see better information about conditions on the road ahead and enjoy smoother journeys on the fully resurfaced road. As well as the smart motorway upgrade, we have also been carrying out the most extensive maintenance on the M3 since it was first built in 1971 in parallel with the works.”

 

Maintenance carried out alongside the project is also substantially complete, but some activities including the rebuilding of the Woodlands Lane bridge over the M3 near Windlesham will continue until later in the year.

 

♦ Highways England has changed the way in which it delivers services across the South West region, by bringing key asset management capability in house for the first time.

 

This means key decision making and investment planning functions are brought together with existing contract management and incident response capabilities.

 

Highways England regional director Andrew Page-Dove said: “The new delivery model demonstrates our commitment to continually driving improvement in how our roads are maintained, improved and operated throughout the region.”

 

(Photo: Highways England)