Progress report

With the early stages of construction of the smart motorway upgrade on the M62 between junctions 10 (Croft) and 12 (Eccles) now underway, electronic signs at Croft Interchange - where the M62 (junction 10) meets the M6 (junction 21a) - and traffic lights on the motorway link roads from the northbound and southbound M6 have now been switched off.

This concludes our 'motorway to motorway metering' pilot scheme, which began in November last year - see 'scheme in detail' for more information.

What next?

Following this testing period, we will now be assessing the results and findings and presenting them to interested parties in due course.

Timeline

Date	Event
November 2017	Testing electronic signs
January 2018	New electronic signs in operation on M62 junction 9 to 11 and traffic lights in operation on M6 link roads at Croft Interchange
October 2018	Pilot scheme ends
2018/2019	Findings to be released

Why we need this scheme

The M62 and M6 are part of the main transport corridor in the north west of England. They link Merseyside and Greater Manchester with Yorkshire and Humberside. The M6 also links the north and south of England, as well as the north of England to Scotland. This area suffers from congestion. We aim to smooth the flow of traffic eastbound by adjusting the speed limit in response to traffic levels.

The scheme in detail

This is a pilot scheme which introduces variable mandatory speed limits via overhead electronic signs and signals on the M62 eastbound carriageway. We are also installing traffic signals on the link roads which connect the M6 (northbound and southbound) at junction 21A to the eastbound carriageway of the M62 junction 10 Croft Interchange. This will help make the best use of the existing road space. The two types of enforcement, mandatory speed limits and traffic signals, will be subject to fix penalty notices of intended prosecutions, to be undertaken by Cheshire Police.

Aims

The scheme aims to:

• increase resilience of this section of our network
• smooth traffic flows
• provide more reliable journey times
• increase and improve the quality of information for road users
• support economic growth

Roadworks and Events for England

The latest incident information for England's motorway and trunk routes provided by Highways England