Extra lanes to open before Christmas on M62

Extra lanes to open before Christmas on Manchester smart motorway

Drivers will be able to use over ten miles of extra lanes on the M62 near Rochdale in time for Christmas.

A permanent fourth lane is opening in each direction between junctions 18 and 20 as part of a phased opening of the smart motorway scheme – increasing capacity on one of England’s busiest stretches of motorway by a third.

Roadworks will be removed from the eastbound carriageway on Monday (18 December) night and from the westbound carriageway on Tuesday (19 December) night.

New electronic signs will also be switched on along this section of the M62 providing drivers with journey time updates and details on incidents.

Jon Stokes, Senior Project Manager at Highways England, said: “The extra lanes on the M62 will provide a significant increase in capacity on the busy stretch of motorway between Greater Manchester and Yorkshire, benefitting the 180,000 drivers who use the route every day.

“We are now at a stage where we can open the extra lanes in time to benefit both Christmas shoppers and people travelling to visit family and friends over the festive season.

“Nearly 600 people are currently working to complete the smart motorway and we will open each section along the route as soon as possible.”

Variable speed limits will be introduced on the M62 (junctions 18 to 20) in early 2018 which will automatically change in response to the flow of traffic. The speed limit will remain at 50mph while the new technology is being fine-tuned.

Resurfacing work will also take place along the entire smart motorway route using overnight carriageway closures. The project is due to be completed by summer 2018.

The scheme is Highways England’s most complex smart motorway project, affecting the second busiest motorway in the country and covering 13 junctions – an average of one junction every 1.4 miles.

The full scheme stretches 17 miles between junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale.