Carillion has been awarded a £70M contract to upgrade part of the M6 to ‘Smart Motorway’ standard – the Highways Agency’s new name for Managed Motorways.

Work on the scheme between junctions 10a and 13 in Staffordshire will begin early next year to help improve traffic flow and relieve congestion for the 120,000 vehicles who use this section of the motorway every day. Completion of the project is due in spring 2015.

Variable mandatory speed restrictions will be introduced at peak times and the hard shoulder is to be converted into an additional running lane between junctions 11a and 13.

Highways Agency project manager David Cooke said: “Over the coming months road users will start to see additional verge mounted signs and gantries being installed. Much of the work will be less noticeable as the installation and testing of supporting hidden roadside technology will be ongoing throughout the scheme.”

The Highways Agency has decided to use the term ‘Smart Motorway’ from now on in an effort to make it clearer to the public what is meant when technology is used to make motorway journeys run more easily.

According to a spokesman: “The term ‘Managed Motorways’ was failing the test of if you stop someone in the street and asked them what it is. But we think ‘Smart Motorway’ is a bit more of a logical title.”

(Photo: Highways Agency)

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