M6 J16 - J19 Smart Motorway

[Big L]

More progress. The motorway was closed overnight last weekend and will be this weekend. Northbound is now on lanes 1,2,3 with the hard shoulder closed all the way up the works. I imagine this weekend will see the last of the surfacing that is needed for the southbound to follow suit.

[mikehindsonevans]

We used this N/B on Friday evening (6th) and onto the new A556.
All worked fine, everyone behaved themselves but I will really be glad when the M6 re-construction finishes; we have fortnightly trips to Manchester lined up for the foreseeable future and this unlit mess, after nearly 200 miles, is not a great way to finish a journey.

[Alderpoint]

Anyone still travelling this regularly? How is it generally now?

Heading up to central Scotland this Friday evening, leaving Coventry about 4pm. Looking for the least bad option. I also understand they have now started between J13-15 too.

Seriously considering the M1 instead - I think there are less roadworks on that now.

[Robert Kilcoyne]

Anyone still travelling this regularly? How is it generally now?

Heading up to central Scotland this Friday evening, leaving Coventry about 4pm. Looking for the least bad option. I also understand they have now started between J13-15 too.

Seriously considering the M1 instead - I think there are less roadworks on that now.

There are long term roadworks on the M1 between Junction 23A (A42) and Junction 25 (A52); narrow lanes with 50 mph limit.
The A1(M) is now complete between Leeming and Barton so you should have a fairly clear run through North Yorkshire.

[Norfolktolancashire]

Anyone still travelling this regularly? How is it generally now?

Heading up to central Scotland this Friday evening, leaving Coventry about 4pm. Looking for the least bad option. I also understand they have now started between J13-15 too.

Seriously considering the M1 instead - I think there are less roadworks on that now.

in the last few months while travelling south on this stretch of the M6 on a Friday around 11am I noted several long queues on the northbound stretch between Stoke and the A556 for no reason. Further south and north of this stretch it was freeflowing northwards. The new roadworks between Stoke and Cannock are at the moment only a short section of 50mph restrictions.

Apart from the M1 route I cannot think of a suitable route for you on what will be a busy time particularly through any towns avoiding the M6.

[fras]

Not wise to use the M6 to go north at that sort of time on a Friday. The whole world is on the move then, and they all seem to have "M6" somewhere on their itinerary !! Problem with Jn16-19 is the enormous level of traffic, such that the slightest incident and the queues build up very rapidly. What we need up here is a parallel motorway with fewer junctions so cater for through traffic North-South. Maybe call it the M6 Express !

[Johnathan404]

I've driven up the M6 many times and the lesson I've learned over the years is that if it's a warm Friday evening and I'm not at Solihull by 3pm, it's going to take me a further three hours to get to M6 J20 without any roadworks.

Generally speaking it's:
Queueing from J8 to J11a.
Queueing from J12 to J15.
Queueing from south of J16 to J19.

[Truvelo]

I'm beginning to wonder if the extra lane all the way from J11-19 will make any difference once the work is complete. Will there just be four lanes of stationary traffic on Friday afternoons instead of three?

[Bendo]

They will help, but as soon as something breaks down, it will be far worse than it was with a lane less and a hard shoulder.

[Benny]

But what Truvelo is meaning is by the time they finish the work (years away) traffic levels for 4 lanes will be broadly similar to 3 lanes now so we won't feel any benefit.

Then there will be a pile up that no one can get to because they binned the hard shoulder.

Think I might buy a 4x4 so I can escape via the fields!

[owen b]

But what Truvelo is meaning is by the time they finish the work (years away) traffic levels for 4 lanes will be broadly similar to 3 lanes now so we won't feel any benefit.

Except for J15-16 which to my knowledge is not scheduled for all lane running so there won't be four running lanes. Which I find very odd, because although there's some reduction in traffic on that section compared to adjoining sections it's not a lane's worth and the suppressed demand the all lanes running will release on the adjoining sections will surely cause a big problem for J15-16 if it's still D3M. Or am I missing some vital piece of information or thinking?

[Truvelo]

I'm sure plenty of traffic on the A50 heading north will join the M6 at J15 rather than take the D road to J16 so I wouldn't say this section is any quieter than the rest. And you're spot on about suppressed demand. There's lots of drivers like myself fed up with regular jams who use alternative routes at certain times of the day. I would like to return to the M6 when all the work is done and so will everyone else. Experience of J5-10 has shown the extra lane has bought a few years of additional capacity before the holdups started making a comeback.

[hoagy_ytfc]

But what Truvelo is meaning is by the time they finish the work (years away) traffic levels for 4 lanes will be broadly similar to 3 lanes now so we won't feel any benefit.

I'm trying, and failing, to grasp the logic here. Help me out, maybe?

Is it that traffic is going up anyway, whatever we build? Cos then surely we'd see the benefit of having that extra traffic across four lanes rather than three?

Or is it that the extra traffic only comes cos of the extra capacity? This is the argument of the "build nothing" crowd. Is that what is being advocated?

[Truvelo]

It's a bit of both. There's a slight increase in the amount of traffic each year but as I mentioned in my last post there's a certain amount of traffic avoiding the M6 due to regular congestion. I'm only broadly speculating here but if that traffic returns to the M6 it could easily overwhelm the additional capacity currently being provided.

[vlad]

I'm sure plenty of traffic on the A50 heading north will join the M6 at J15 rather than take the D road to J16 so I wouldn't say this section is any quieter than the rest.

Although following the signs would take you to J15 the route to J16 is slightly shorter so sat-nav might send you that way. It also avoids you having to join the M6 northbound at J15, which is an experience.

People who drive that way regularly presumably have their favourite route between the A50 and M6.

[Alderpoint]

Well yesterday late afternoon I sailed up the M6 comparatively freely. Okay it was slow in the places, but not as bad as I expected all the way from the M6T up to J19. But then I learned the M6 n/b was *shut* up near Lancaster.

Phone (Waze) did a fine job of routing me around it, although it did involved a diversion almost as far as Skipton - and I'd forgotten how slow the A65 from Skipton to Kendle is. One thing I was surprised to see was SPECS cameras on the A685 from Barrowford to Gisburn - but no warning signs....

[kevjs]

I'm sure plenty of traffic on the A50 heading north will join the M6 at J15 rather than take the D road to J16 so I wouldn't say this section is any quieter than the rest. And you're spot on about suppressed demand. There's lots of drivers like myself fed up with regular jams who use alternative routes at certain times of the day. I would like to return to the M6 when all the work is done and so will everyone else. Experience of J5-10 has shown the extra lane has bought a few years of additional capacity before the holdups started making a comeback.

The A500 used to be a good alternative - but over the last five years has got worse and worse and is nearly as bad as the M6.

People who drive that way regularly presumably have their favourite route between the A50 and M6.

A500, A34, A50 and onto the M6 at Junction 20.

Wondering if the M1, M62, M61, M55 route will be better next time.... Not had much luck with that heading southbound though.
I wish the trains between Nottingham and the North West weren't so rubbish and infrequent to give a real alternative.

[Duple]

I guess this is the best place to post this.

I assume things are going a bit more to plan than expected?

The 'curved gantries' (sorry don't know the technical term!) That hold the MS4s up are starting to appear between 18 and 19.

Is this a sign ( ) it will be finished sooner than next March?

[fras]

I guess this is the best place to post this.

I assume things are going a bit more to plan than expected?

The 'curved gantries' (sorry don't know the technical term!) That hold the MS4s up are starting to appear between 18 and 19.

Is this a sign ( ) it will be finished sooner than next March?

Any sensible contractor is going to take all the time he is allowed, so he doesn't have to come back later on.

[Bryn666]

It's nowhere near finished yet. They're only just digging out earthworks for ERAs, and there are a number of overbridges which need to be strengthened as the concrete supports are best described only in family-unfriendly terms.

If there's a bad summer and winter weather wise they won't hit March as a deadline.