M6 smart motorway scheme among eight forecast to provide poor value for money, reports show

Reports published by National Highways show schemes on the M25 between junctions 23-27 and the M6 between junctions five and eight are expected to deliver “very poor value for money”.

Their construction costs totalled £314 million in 2010 prices.

Six further schemes were rated either “poor” or “low” for value for money.

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The assessments take into account the cost of schemes compared with economic benefits calculated from factors such as improvements to journey times and safety over a 60-year period.

Value for money ratings have been negatively affected by lower than expected traffic growth, reducing the number of drivers benefiting from extra capacity.

The AA said the reports, which provide an overall evaluation of 16 smart motorway projects completed between 2013 and 2019, show the programme was “a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort”.

Smart motorways established by converting hard shoulders to live lanes were designed to increase capacity at a lower cost than widening roads.

But there have been long-standing safety concerns because of fatal incidents in which vehicles stopped in live lanes were hit from behind.

Then-prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled all future smart motorway projects in April 2023, citing financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in the roads.

Successive governments have rejected calls for removed hard shoulders to be re-installed.

The AA said its analysis of National Highways’ reports shows two schemes, the M1 between junctions 39 and 42 and the M3 between junctions two and 4a, have a “worsening safety record”.

The organisation described the 16 assessments as “inconsistent” because safety benchmarks vary by report.

It also questioned why the reports, many of which are dated September 2023, were not published until Thursday.

AA president Edmund King said: “The reluctant release of these documents, without any announcement, feels like an attempt to bury bad news.

“This has been a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort.

“Many of the schemes have slower journeys which causes traffic jams, loses the country cash and worsened the safety record of motorways.

“We need the return of the hard shoulder to help give confidence to drivers, both now and in the future.”

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “These roads are deeply unpopular. Only the reinstatement of the hard shoulder is going to cut it with drivers.

“The existing technology, such as variable speed limits, could still be used to potentially ease traffic flows at busy times.”

A National Highways spokesperson said: “Our latest analysis continues to show that overall, smart motorways remain our safest roads.

“They are also providing much needed extra capacity for drivers, helping to reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These reports show that smart motorways can make journeys reliable and increase road capacity, so more vehicles can travel safely.

“We will continue to monitor their benefits over the coming years.”