Ambitious plans to upgrade the busy M62 motorway have been confirmed today.
The stretch of the trans-Pennine motorway through Huddersfield will become a “smart” motorway over the next five years with the aim of reducing congestion.
But the bad news for tens of thousands of drivers travelling the 19 miles between junctions 20 at Rochdale and 25 at Brighouse on the M62 every day will be they could face 50mph speed limits for around two to three years due to the work on the project.
That will see the introduction of an extra lane at busy times by using the hard shoulder, and variable speed limits.
The plans, made possible due to £1.3billion of funding from the Government’s Road Investment Strategy, were announced today by Highways England at an event in Leeds. They form the latest phase in the “smart” motorway scheme, which is now functional between Leeds and Brighouse.
There is currently work under way on the stretch from Rochdale to Manchester.
See below for a gallery of pictures showing the original construction of the M62
When the work is complete, the smart motorway system will be operational on a 60-mile stretch of the M62 from Manchester to Leeds
However, an exact timetable of work or how much it will actually cost may not be revealed until the end of the financial year, according to Highways England.
A spokesperson for the Government agency, said: “It’s early days but we hope before the financial year to see a final planning decision and start conversations with our key stake holders.
“We hope to start it before 2020.
“Through previous schemes we’ve found that it’s far more cost-effective and quicker to do schemes within one block, which will see the closure of the hard shoulder and 50mph speed restrictions.
See the video below for a 'drive through' of the current 'Smart' scheme outside Manchester
“Typically, this can take two to three years to complete.
“We have learnt from previous schemes in terms of being intelligent about breakdowns and people running out of fuel and we will provide free breakdown recovery.”
Steven Leigh, head of policy at the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the plans.
He said: “I’m a believer in managed motorways because the reality is that widening motorways is too expensive but at the moment our motorways are clogged up every day and this is a clever way of achieving almost the same ends as widening.
“If nothing’s done the motorway will stop working and getting in and out of area will be very bad for business in Huddersfield and Halifax because it will hamper inward investment.
“Although this will cause some short-term disruption this is good news for businesses in the long term. If we want the gain we have to have the pain and the smart motorway is a sensible ambition for us all to have so we can make journeys along it without stopping.”
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The history and future of the M62
1930s
The idea of a new main route crossing the Pennines is mooted
1961
Survey work begins on the Pennine stretch above Huddersfield
1963
Work starts on the first stretch of the 107-mile motorway at Pole Moor where 12m cubic yards of material was moved
1966
Work starts on Scammonden Dam
1971
The Queen officially opens the first stretch of the motorway at Scammonden a few months after work was completed on the stretch from Windy Hill to Outlane - regarded as the most difficult because of the challenging moorland landscape. See more images of the construction here.
1976
The final stretches of the £765m project are completed in east Yorkshire
2009
Work begins on the first stretch of what was known as “Managed Motorway”. A previous plan to build an extra lane had been mooted but was shelved in favour of using the hard shoulder between Junction 25 at Brighouse and 30 at Tingley
2013
The new smart motorway work is completed. A smart motorway is one that uses technology to manage congestion, by allowing the Highways Agency to adjust the speed limit through overhead boards and close and open lanes, including the hard shoulder. Overhead variable message signs will also give drivers information on queues and accidents, provide CCTV coverage and enforcement
2013
The four lane M62 smart motorway goes live between Tingley and Brighouse but concerns were raised to the Examiner by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and Transport Focus over drivers’ confusion on how best to use them. Those surveyed by IAM revealed their fears over the safety of smart motorways, due to the lack of a hard shoulder and the increase in distances between a safety refuge
2014
Work starts on the smart motorway project between Rochdale and Manchester
2015
Highways England confirm plans to have a smart motorway on the highest Pennine stretch