M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

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SouthWest Philip
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by SouthWest Philip »

jackal wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 19:38 I actually agree with the lane drops at M25 J10 and J12, as I don't see how else such high merge volumes could be accommodated. If three through lanes isn't enough then the solution isn't no lane drop, it's widening the adjoining sections to D5 with D4 through the junctions. J11 is a different matter of course.
Indeed. If anything, the M3 could do with having a double lane drop from the M25 clockwise if the approach were widened to D5.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

brummie_rob wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 19:01 I've noticed they are lane dropping at J14 which I didn't think was originally planned. Worried this will cause queues on approach and bad lane management instead of like the Cheshire section where it runs through the full 18 mile stretch.
I drove through northbound this morning and the carriageway through J14 is marked out with 4 lanes. I will check southbound this evening.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Southbound does seem to be getting a lane drop. That will help the joining traffic - it could be "exciting" sometimes entrring there, with the shortish slip and pretty poor visibility.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

That makes more sense, it is quite a poor join and probably would have been worse with a fourth lane.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Some of the VMSs have been installed !

I saw 3 up this morning, but there may have been more.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Big L wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:29 Some of the VMSs have been installed !

I saw 3 up this morning, but there may have been more.
I had a better look today - the weather was somewhat better !!

2 northbound between 13 and 14, none southbound.
4 northbound and 3 southbound between 14 and 15.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Just come through southbound. They've been busy !!

All of the electronic signs from J15 to just before Stafford Services appear to be up.
Almost all of the metal barrier has been removed in favour of cones between J15 and J14.
Lots of the worst sections of surfacing has been relaid.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

Big L wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 16:35 Just come through southbound. They've been busy !!

All of the electronic signs from J15 to just before Stafford Services appear to be up.
Almost all of the metal barrier has been removed in favour of cones between J15 and J14.
Lots of the worst sections of surfacing has been relaid.
Good stuff. The service was atrocious late January obviously not helped by the freeze thaw effect too. Lane three was the safest to be in as that was new surfacing but of course highly illegal to sit in it :wink:

The update from the contractors today is stating that there will be more overnight closures coming up than scheduled to unplanned resurfacing that will ensure the surface will last a further 10 years. I'm guessing they came to there senses to actually do a full resurface job rather than leave it in the patchwork mess it has been. I suppose full testing is underway now the signs are up, can't be too much longer until they open the fourth lane even if under speed restrictions like on the M62 last year.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

I was impressed by the scale of resurfacing last weekend, there are now only small sections of the old surface on both sides anywhere between J13-J15. It made for a much smoother and quieter ride without dodging all the holes! I can't believe they expected the other surface to last much longer given the pounding it gets made worse by years of the smart works.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

Resurfacing is nearly completed on both sides, about a few miles left to do on each. The big question now is how long will the project be delayed given the need to install vehicle radar detection. Be nice if they lift the speed limit southbound to 60mph whilst they complete that though.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

Went south to Brum - and back - on Wednesday (28th). Major progress on the smart rebuild, but some sections of tarmac are still in DESPERATE need of resurfacing.

BTW. I also visited Hilton Park services southbound for the first time (probably) since the Toll opened. Very impressed with the cleanliness of all parts of the buildings.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by A303Chris »

In true road enthusiasts style I went to the Yorkshire Dales up the M1 and back down M6/M40 last week.

Now this section looks virtually complete as does the M4 J8/9 to J12, which is 60 mph in both directions.

So why is northbound 60mph and southbound still 50mph throughout the whole length. I understood last year why southbound was still at 50mph as it was in contraflow and adjacent to the works area, but now it does not make any sense whatsoever.

50mph especially J15 to J14 is a slog.

At J14 northbound is marked out as four lanes through out the junction, but southbound is a lane drop, which makes sense as the bridge over the north west mainline is very close to the junction.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bryn666 »

A303Chris wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 14:03 At J14 northbound is marked out as four lanes through out the junction, but southbound is a lane drop, which makes sense as the bridge over the north west mainline is very close to the junction.
It doesn't make sense to me - instead of doing a proper job and widening the bridge over the WCML to allow a proper merge taper from J14 they have ensured that J15-14 suffers from "M25 Syndrome" and most drivers will just stay in L2 for the entire 10 miles.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

I always thought the original plans included a slight widening of the WCML bridge but alas it hasn't happened. I've tweeted HE to ask about making SB 60mph but had no response, I may try an email. It is painful with full width lanes doing 50mph for such a long stretch.

Still no sign of the radar technology too being installed; are these schemes now just going to sit with a coned off shoulder for the foreseeable. If so they need to make it 60mph southbound at least to make it more tolerable.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by jusme »

60 S/B now...

(Wonder if that's as good as it gets. 3+ years work and £300M to upgrade from 3+HS with 70MPH limit to 3 + cones with 60MPH limit. I'm sure the speed cameras will work though.)
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bryn666 »

jusme wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:21 60 S/B now...

(Wonder if that's as good as it gets. 3+ years work and £300M to upgrade from 3+HS with 70MPH limit to 3 + cones with 60MPH limit. I'm sure the speed cameras will work though.)
They're just waiting for the press frenzy to simmer down then they will quietly go back to business as usual with zero lessons learned.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by owen b »

jusme wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:21 60 S/B now...
Yes, I came through it this afternoon, plain sailing :) . In my experience (which is usually Friday evening or Saturday morning northbound, Sunday afternoon/early evening southbound), M6 J11-19 is now much better than M1 J11-19. They used to be roughly equally bad, but the M6 is now more or less free flowing even through the roadworks, whereas it seems to be virtually impossible to make steady progress on the M1.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

owen b wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 20:54
jusme wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:21 60 S/B now...
Yes, I came through it this afternoon, plain sailing :) . In my experience (which is usually Friday evening or Saturday morning northbound, Sunday afternoon/early evening southbound), M6 J11-19 is now much better than M1 J11-19. They used to be roughly equally bad, but the M6 is now more or less free flowing even through the roadworks, whereas it seems to be virtually impossible to make steady progress on the M1.
Having gone through both ways on Monday 21JUN, this southbound speed increase should avoid the problem of a minority of rule-breaking truckers breaking the limit by bulldozing down the middle lane S/B.

Good to see these roadworks inching forward. Some resurfacing at the southern end of the S/B works has improved the ride.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Micro The Maniac »

A303Chris wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:54 To me 4 lanes through the junctions is better as otherwise as happens on the M3 no one uses lane 1 and they become glorified slip roads
The M3 flows significantly better since smartification, and in particular because it doesn't snarl up at J4A, J4 and J3 - where the benefit of the lane-gain means the merging traffic has some space to merge into the flow.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bendo »

mikehindsonevans wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 23:22
owen b wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 20:54
jusme wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:21 60 S/B now...
Yes, I came through it this afternoon, plain sailing :) . In my experience (which is usually Friday evening or Saturday morning northbound, Sunday afternoon/early evening southbound), M6 J11-19 is now much better than M1 J11-19. They used to be roughly equally bad, but the M6 is now more or less free flowing even through the roadworks, whereas it seems to be virtually impossible to make steady progress on the M1.
Having gone through both ways on Monday 21JUN, this southbound speed increase should avoid the problem of a minority of rule-breaking truckers breaking the limit by bulldozing down the middle lane S/B.

Good to see these roadworks inching forward. Some resurfacing at the southern end of the S/B works has improved the ride.
Or infuriate then more as you get idiots dawdling along at less than 50 in L2 still.
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