AT LAST! M6 roadworks complete (but 50mph limit stays)
Long-running roadworks on the M6 will finally be removed this weekend following months of delays for motorists.
Drivers will be able to take advantage of the extra fourth lane between junctions 10a and 13.
However, a 50mph speed limit will remain in place as testing for the smart motorway technology is carried out.
The project was set to finish last year. But the deadline was pushed back to January after delays, before being held up once again to February.
Highways England last night said the roadworks would be removed and the fourth lane opened by Monday morning.
The agency said the 50mph speed limit over the 10-mile stretch will add around three minutes and 26 seconds to a journey, compared to a vehicle travelling at a constant 70mph.
Once testing is complete, the road will be opened as a smart motorway – featuring technology to prevent queuing and keep drivers informed about the journey ahead.
Highways England said the upgrade will improve journeys for more than 100,000 drivers every day.
David Cooke, project lead for Highways England, said: "We are opening this road to traffic with four lanes available while we test the technology at a reduced speed limit.
"The test will allow us to gather reliable traffic data and calibrate the technology systems along this stretch.
"We hope drivers will notice a positive difference from Monday, but the really big improvement will come once this test is done and the smart motorway is all open."
The project is designed to cut congestion. Road sensors have been installed underneath the highway surface to monitor the volume of traffic and how fast vehicles are travelling. These will work in tandem with overhead gantries which impose temporary speed limits when necessary to improve the flow of traffic or if there has been an accident.
Last week, the Highways Agency said that the project would be complete in February.
A claim the latest delay was caused due to the wrong signs being ordered was strongly denied.
The agency said the delays were down to 'a number of technology issues'.
Figures obtained by the Freedom of Information revealed that on average more than 450 drivers a month were caught breaking the temporary speed limit.
