M6 Junction 21a to 26 smart motorway

[jackal]

This scheme will see 10 miles of the M6, between the M62 and M58, upgraded to four lane all lane running (ALR) smart motorway. It is due to start construction in January-March 2021.

The scheme includes through junction running at all intermediate junctions, with lane drops and gains at the M62 and M58. So essentially all of the hard shoulder (aside from slip roads) will be converted to a running lane.

The cost is listed at a relatively low £100m to £250m. This is presumably because the hard shoulder is continuous so there will be minimal land take, earthworks or structural work.

Scheme website: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/ ... -motorway/
Consultation on the Variable Mandatory Speed Limit associated with the scheme: https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... -container

PS - I couldn't find an existing thread - feel free to merge if there is one.

[Chris5156]

The cost is listed at a relatively low £100m to £250m. This is presumably because the hard shoulder is continuous so there will be minimal land take, earthworks or structural work.

Some Smart Motorway projects also have to include carriageway reconstruction and hard shoulder strengthening work, which massively raises the cost. Given this stretch opened circa 1963 it’s possible it’s already had all that done to it as part of a routine maintenance project years ago - if so that would make it a damn sight simpler than many other similar schemes.

[traffic-light-man]

There is this bridge over the Liverpool to Manchester line where the hard shoulder is closed, though mostly with hatching rather than it completely disappearing.

[jackal]

Fair point, there will be some local widening there (perhaps just into the central reservation).

The cost is listed at a relatively low £100m to £250m. This is presumably because the hard shoulder is continuous so there will be minimal land take, earthworks or structural work.

Some Smart Motorway projects also have to include carriageway reconstruction and hard shoulder strengthening work, which massively raises the cost. Given this stretch opened circa 1963 it’s possible it’s already had all that done to it as part of a routine maintenance project years ago - if so that would make it a damn sight simpler than many other similar schemes.

I thought that was rather the norm for ALR as hard shoulders were not routinely constructed (or reconstructed) for running traffic until the advent of smart motorways. I could be wrong on that. In any case, I meant minimal compared to schemes where they replace many structures, such as the M4 smart motorway which is coming out around £30m per mile.

[Bryn666]

This length of the M6 has been rebuilt in the last 20 years including increasing the headroom of the three-pin footbridges which originally had restricted clearance over the hard shoulders. Defective bridges have already been replaced or repaired unlike on the Cheshire length where every support column had to be wrapped in new concrete.

With the exception of the railway bridge that has already been mentioned there is likely to be next to no structural work required.

I imagine that replacing the central reservation barriers and removing the 1970s lighting columns will be the biggest task.

[Truvelo]

I imagine that replacing the central reservation barriers and removing the 1970s lighting columns will be the biggest task.

So that means the end for the turtles at J25 and any remaining MA60's

[Bryn666]

I imagine that replacing the central reservation barriers and removing the 1970s lighting columns will be the biggest task.

So that means the end for the turtles at J25 and any remaining MA60's

The only MA60s on the mainline are between J23 and J22 and they're falling to bits. Slip roads might survive though, J25's spur in particular is a lengthy stretch of SOX.

[Vierwielen]

The cost is listed at a relatively low £100m to £250m. This is presumably because the hard shoulder is continuous so there will be minimal land take, earthworks or structural work.

Some Smart Motorway projects also have to include carriageway reconstruction and hard shoulder strengthening work, which massively raises the cost. Given this stretch opened circa 1963 it’s possible it’s already had all that done to it as part of a routine maintenance project years ago - if so that would make it a damn sight simpler than many other similar schemes.

Not only do the hard shoulders have to be strengthened to carry continuous heavy traffic but land will be needed for the new refuges that need to be built to accomodate emergency phones. The government seems to be dithering as to how far apart they need to be.

[Chris5156]

Not only do the hard shoulders have to be strengthened to carry continuous heavy traffic but land will be needed for the new refuges that need to be built to accomodate emergency phones. The government seems to be dithering as to how far apart they need to be.

Most Smart Motorway projects involve the addition of refuges without acquisition of extra land. Avoiding the need to acquire land is one of the reasons Smart Motorway projects are so appealing to the DfT. And for that matter, the highly variable spacing of refuge areas is often a side-effect of that - they are often placed where there's room to install them without moving the boundary fence.

In fact - has any Smart Motorway project involved acquisition of land to create refuge areas?

[jackal]

This starts next month. The main works contract is £150m.

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... art-march/
https://www.constructionenquirer.com/20 ... orway-job/

Some detail from the EAR:

· 66 overhead gantries (including 44 new gantries, one retained gantry and 21 gantries where existing
foundations would be reused) fitted with Advanced Motorway Indicators (AMIs), New Message Signs
and/or Advanced Directional Signs (ADS), strategic signs (MS3/ MS4-L) and Variable Messaging
Signs (MS4). These will display variable speed limits based on traffic conditions.
· Ten emergency areas (EAs) will be installed, four on the northbound and six on the southbound
carriageway. They will be constructed to provide a safe area for vehicles to stop in an emergency
without interrupting the flow of traffic.
· Cameras and loop detectors will provide information to support the technology, where through
junction running (TJR) will be introduced.
· Hardening of the central reserve and installation of a reinforced concrete barrier between J21A and
J26.
· Existing lighting will be removed and replaced with modern LED lighting.

Hardening the HS is not mentioned - presumably this was done with the earlier work Byrn mentioned. '[F]our lanes of 13.75m overall width" plus hardstrip will be provided. All works are within the highway boundary but interestingly '[t]hree residential properties at Nicol Avenue, Martinscroft are being purchased by agreement as essential air quality mitigation'. The building containing these properties will be demolished.

https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/ro ... r+2020.pdf

Detailed plans with gantries, emergency areas, etc:

https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/ro ... r+2020.pdf

[Bryn666]

This starts next month. The main works contract is £150m.

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... art-march/
https://www.constructionenquirer.com/20 ... orway-job/

Some detail from the EAR:

· 66 overhead gantries (including 44 new gantries, one retained gantry and 21 gantries where existing
foundations would be reused) fitted with Advanced Motorway Indicators (AMIs), New Message Signs
and/or Advanced Directional Signs (ADS), strategic signs (MS3/ MS4-L) and Variable Messaging
Signs (MS4). These will display variable speed limits based on traffic conditions.
· Ten emergency areas (EAs) will be installed, four on the northbound and six on the southbound
carriageway. They will be constructed to provide a safe area for vehicles to stop in an emergency
without interrupting the flow of traffic.
· Cameras and loop detectors will provide information to support the technology, where through
junction running (TJR) will be introduced.
· Hardening of the central reserve and installation of a reinforced concrete barrier between J21A and
J26.
· Existing lighting will be removed and replaced with modern LED lighting.

Hardening the HS is not mentioned - presumably this was done with the earlier work Byrn mentioned. '[F]our lanes of 13.75m overall width" plus hardstrip will be provided. All works are within the highway boundary but interestingly '[t]hree residential properties at Nicol Avenue, Martinscroft are being purchased by agreement as essential air quality mitigation'. The building containing these properties will be demolished.

https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/ro ... r+2020.pdf

Detailed plans with gantries, emergency areas, etc:

https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/ro ... r+2020.pdf

Property referred to is this: https://goo.gl/maps/BRtfLZV7RcjV8gue7 I can't imagine living there is any fun, best to be rid of that.

I'm not convinced by the absolutely minimal number of ERAs proposed, four in a 10 mile northbound length of motorway seems staggeringly few. Yet E22B1 and E22B2 are less than half a mile apart on the southbound side. Why have they gone for this 6:4 ratio instead of 5:5?

[KILLER KNIGHT]

Seems like it may be delayed to summer. They are still installing gantries and CCTV posts.

[domcoop]

Seems like it may be delayed to summer. They are still installing gantries and CCTV posts.

Yes looks like it has fallen behind. Nothing on the NH website, other than mention of closures to install gantries in December, which never happened AFAIK. They have been doing part closures to get gantry bases up and the VMS signs say there will be full both way night time closures between now and March (so I guess that's when they'll crane in the full span gantries).

They are also installing lighting, but there's only a small handful of columns in seemingly random places, and in the southern stretch between 21A and 23 there are still JCBs doing heavy groundworks and earth movements (whereas in the northern stretch between 23 and 26 it looks like the main groundworks are done and it's just crash barrier, signs, gantries, lighting, drainage and resurfacing left to do).

Bearing in mind that from memory the M62 scheme and the most recent M6 one "looked" finished for a good few months before they opened, with miles of coned off areas whilst finishing took place, and this is nowhere near that stage yet, I'd think even Summer is optimistic!

[KILLER KNIGHT]

Seems like it may be delayed to summer. They are still installing gantries and CCTV posts.

Yes looks like it has fallen behind. Nothing on the NH website, other than mention of closures to install gantries in December, which never happened AFAIK. They have been doing part closures to get gantry bases up and the VMS signs say there will be full both way night time closures between now and March (so I guess that's when they'll crane in the full span gantries).

They are also installing lighting, but there's only a small handful of columns in seemingly random places, and in the southern stretch between 21A and 23 there are still JCBs doing heavy groundworks and earth movements (whereas in the northern stretch between 23 and 26 it looks like the main groundworks are done and it's just crash barrier, signs, gantries, lighting, drainage and resurfacing left to do).

Bearing in mind that from memory the M62 scheme and the most recent M6 one "looked" finished for a good few months before they opened, with miles of coned off areas whilst finishing took place, and this is nowhere near that stage yet, I'd think even Summer is optimistic!

I don’t think they’re doing drainage in the north section but okay. Exactly. Not even gantries. Gantry bases only.

[KILLER KNIGHT]

12 gantries remaining for the northern section before they can move onto the southern section.

[Big L]

A week ago the signs were still up saying “opening Spring 23”.

Seems optimistic.

[KILLER KNIGHT]

A week ago the signs were still up saying “opening Spring 23”.

Seems optimistic.

It will until it doesn’t open next month.

[KILLER KNIGHT]

Now it won’t open before Autumn considering what the latest update stated.

[Bendo]

Shall we guess what the latest update says or are you going to tell us?

[KILLER KNIGHT]

Shall we guess what the latest update says or are you going to tell us?

You should have quoted me. Anyways, it says the following:

Latest overnight motorway closures confirmed

We’re continuing work to install gantries as part of the motorway upgrade between junctions 21a to 26 of the M6.

In total, 65 will be put in place throughout the 10-mile stretch of the M6 between Warrington and Wigan. We're more than halfway through and expect to finish this part of the upgrade in late summer 2023.

For the safety of drivers and staff we need to carry out a number of overnight closures as we deliver this essential work, which involves using large cranes.