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Published on: 18/01/2019 10:59 AMReported by: roving-eye
As of Friday 18 January 2019, motorists are able to use all 4 new lanes between junction 18 (Holmes Chapel) and junction 19 (Knutsford) northbound. We are now in the process of ensuring all 4 new lanes on the southbound stretch between these two junctions are in use in time for Saturday morning (19 January).
New overhead electronic signs have been switched on to provide drivers with live information about their journeys, including changes in the speed limit, lane closures and incidents ahead.
The 60mph speed limit between junctions 18 and 19, increased from 50mph ahead of the Christmas 2018 break, will remain in place for the next few weeks while we complete testing of new technology, with this section due to be fully operational as a smart motorway by early February.
A temporary 50mph speed limit will remain in place between junctions 16 and 18 until the construction and technology work is completed and the whole project opens to traffic at the end of March.
What's next?
We are on schedule to complete the full scheme between junctions 16 and 19 by the end of March, improving journeys for the 120,000 drivers who use this stretch of the M6 every day.
For details of upcoming planned closures you can check our roadworks feed or view diversion routes.
Timeline
Date |
Event |
July 2013 |
Scheme announced in the Spending Review |
December 2015 |
Construction begins |
February 2019 |
Junctions 18 to 19 become fully operational |
March 2019 |
Construction ends |
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Your Comments:
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Good news. That stretch has always been an issue.
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The whole of the M6 is still a ******* car park.
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Bit of a misnomer to call them 4 new lanes - they have taken the existing hard shoulder and converted into a live lane. Still some doubt about the safety aspects of doing this.
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Why on earth does testing of the signs have to be done at 60mph and not 70. We’ve just had nearly four years of delays, it’s no wonder the motorists get so frustrated with the incompetent Highways Agency.
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Originally Posted by
Normal
The whole of the M6 is still a ******* car park.
And your solution is?
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Last time I did those roadworks there were small laybuys (sp?) every few hundred yards
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so if you break down you will be in a live lane with traffic hurtling towards you !!
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If you break down the lane will be closed using the smart electronic signage above the motorway. There are cameras all up the carriageway to monitor and the smart signs can be used to adjust lane closures and speed limits. It works well on the stretches I've used further down the country.
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I am a very confident driver, would I want to break down in the new inner live 4th lane and hope somebody pressed the button to tell motorists to move out into the 3rd lane. No way, it is an accident waiting to happen. My advice is if it does happen to you, get out of the car and hide behind the safety barriers ASAP. A typical UK cheap solution , they should have widened the M6 and put a 4th lane in with a hard shoulder. Without being sexist, god help some of our less able motorists breaking down without a hard shoulder.
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Originally Posted by
bethanysdad
I am a very confident driver, would I want to break down in the new inner live 4th lane and hope somebody pressed the button to tell motorists to move out into the 3rd lane. No way, it is an accident waiting to happen. My advice is if it does happen to you, get out of the car and hide behind the safety barriers ASAP. A typical UK cheap solution , they should have widened the M6 and put a 4th lane in with a hard shoulder. Without being sexist, god help some of our less able motorists breaking down without a hard shoulder.
That is common sense and the advise given by all relevant bodies. Smart motorways have been around for years, they are an alternative and yes cheaper solution to ease congestion, the new lane is only used as a live lane during peak times at all other times it is for emergency use only.
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I was of the opinion that all four lanes are always in use.
Refuge areas
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"Smart" is a bit of a misnomer when you're relying on people to operate the gantry signage! I wouldn't want to break down at night on an unlit stretch of motorway, or when the weather impairs visibility. You'd take your life in your hands trying to get across. I wouldn't fancy staying in my car either. Depending on the traffic conditions, there's no guarantee that drivers would see your hazards flashing.
In the event of an accident/breakdown etc., how do emergency vehicles get access if there's no hard shoulder?
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