Public information exhibition Highways England creative N150128
Welcome We re improving the M60 between junction 8 (Carrington Spur) and M62 junction 20 (Rochdale and Oldham). The M60 and M62 are vital parts of the strategic road network. They provide an important link for people, communities and businesses across Greater Mancheser and the North West. We re transforming the stretch of M60 motorway between junctions 8 and M62 junction 20 by turning it into a smart motorway. This means introducing new road technologies which have been tried and tested in other parts of the country. Our work will relieve congestion and smooth the flow of traffic, making journey times more reliable for the future. In turn this will support and improve economic growth.
Why is this work needed? The M60 between junction 8 and M62 junction 20 is one of the busiest sections of road in the UK. It is used by over 180,000 vehicles per day and suffers from heavy congestion and unpredictable journey times, especially during peak periods. Congestion on this stretch of motorway also impacts on local roads. Reducing congestion, removing major bottlenecks and improving journey time reliability will help businesses in the area to be more efficient. Smart motorways deliver significant benefits for the investment and have many advantages over conventional widening: No need for additional land Less disruption from construction Fewer environmental impacts Better value for money Maintains the excellent safety record of England s motorways
Features of this smart motorway 4km of environmental barriers 9 superspan gantries 216 signals 47 monitoring cameras 3 emergency refuge areas 11 refurbished message signs 990 lighting columns replaced 111 traffic monitoring loop sites 20.3km of concrete barriers 77 signs Enough low noise surfacing to cover 157 football pitches 56 new under carriageway ducts 25km of technology ducting
Construction what you ll see and what s happening We re not widening the road, so you won t see lots of big construction work taking place, or heavy machinery. This is a smart motorway project, so it ll take place on the road or immediately next to it. We ll be installing new gantries which are metal frames which support electronic signs and other technologies. You ll see our team of engineers and construction staff working at specific locations at a time. They won t be working on the whole section of road all at once since they ll work in small groups from one section of the road to the next. We will also be doing a lot of our work at night and behind the scenes. That means you won t always see what s going on even when the teams are hard at work.
Construction at night We are committed to minimising disruption during the construction of this smart motorway. Due to the high volumes of vehicles that use this route we need to maintain the existing lane capacity during the day. However, there is not enough space to do this and provide a safe working area for our road workers, including machinery, vehicles and other equipment. This will mean that a large section of work can only be carried out at night when traffic flows are considerably less than during the day and when we will be able to close lanes or even sections of the motorway.
How we manage incidents within roadworks The entire length of our work is covered by 120 CCTV cameras operating 24 hours a day every single day of the year. This means we will be able to spot breakdowns and send out our free vehicle recovery service quickly. You can rest assured that if you break down we ll take your vehicle to a safe location while you wait for your own recovery service. You can do your own bit To help keep delays on the road to a minimum please make sure you regularly maintain your vehicle and check you ve got enough fuel to complete your journey. A number of delays could be avoided by people taking the time to check their cars before they set off.
Features of this smart motorway Controlled motorways: This scheme will have a section of controlled motorway between junctions 8 and 18 of the M60. Controlled motorways usually have hard shoulders, variable mandatory speed limits and lane closure signs. All lane running: This scheme will have no hard shoulder between junctions 18 and 20 0f the M62. There will be four lanes permanently open for use by road users. Emergency refuge areas will be available. Emergency refuge areas: Drivers who breakdown should try to drive to the nearest emergency refuge area, exit slip road or service area. If a break down occurs in a live lane we will set signs and signals on the overhead gantry until assistance can reach the driver. Bolton M61 Walkden 15 Bury M66 Prestwich M60 18 Heywood M62 Middleton 20 A627(M) Oldham Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey 100030649 Swinton M60 12 Salford Manchester M60 M67 M62 Irlam Sale 8 M60 Denton Signs: Signs will advise you of any lane closures and will provide information on the road conditions such as severe weather. Lane closure signs: When lanes are closed red X sign will be displayed above the hard shoulder or lane(s) that cannot be used. Speed limit signs: Speed limits will vary and will be applied at times of congestion, to prevent stop start conditions. Signs in the verge or above the carriageway will advise the current speed limit. If no speed limit is shown the national speed limit applies.
What the system will typically include CCTV to monitor traffic conditions including during incidents Signed cameras monitor traffic speeds for enforcement purposes Signs mounted at the verge provide enhanced driver information including informing drivers of the motorway speed limit and the availability of lanes Emergency refuge area Loops hidden in the road allow monitoring of traffi c fl ows Smart motorways all lane running The design of smart motorways all lane running is not fundamentally different to those sections of the existing motorway network that do not have a hard shoulder. However, it has the added advantage of providing technology to detect and monitor incidents that are happening on the network, coupled with dedicated systems able to communicate appropriate advice or instructions to drivers, such as lane availability or mandatory speed limits. When these are used together, they help to create a controlled environment that leads to safe and more reliable journeys with smoother traffic flows.
Construction progress New signs fabricated off site 243 2,123 tons of steel fabricated off site into new gantries 4.2km of new ducting has been installed 57 Subcontractor companies appointed to work on the scheme 28,000m of drains Cable removal: Hours worked 136 CCTV cameras surveyed by CCTV 67km removed on the project so far 12 0420,00 1,000 tons of silt removed from drains Topsoil Strip 6,000m 2 used on the project so far (equivalent of 10 football pitches) 1,362 people inducted
Noise monitoring For health and safety reasons, and so that that we cause as little disruption to the travelling public as possible, a lot of our work takes place at night. To keep a check on the noise levels we are creating we carryout noise monitoring during these sensitive times. From these readings we can ensure that we have the right measures in place to keep the noise to a minimum. Some of our works, such as gantry demolition, are noisy by nature. Noises you may hear during our works are: Activity Gantry demolition Piling Open cutting Description Peckers and crunchers are used to demolish the legs of the gantry s. Peckers and crunchers are used alternatively for approximately 30mins each. The legs will take around a total of 2 hours to demolish. The noise from pecker sounds similar to a jack-hammer and the cruncher sounds a bit like a rumbling and is not as noticeable. Piles are augured into the ground rather than driven, which is a quieter technique and less disruptive. Sheet piling (which is driven into the ground) has been chosen in some locations to reduce the amount of tree screening that would have to be removed between residential houses and the motorway. Cutting saws are used to cut the road and a pecker is used for a short time to break out the road so that the cables can be installed. The use of peckers and saws is intermittent and for short durations of time.
Echo barrier We have been looking into new ways of reducing the effects of construction noise. Where possible we have been using a new type acoustic barrier panels. The panels are attached to fences with specially designed elastic ties and are placed around the work. They also act as a barrier to stop any dust that may be created. If our work is very noisy we can double the panels up to get greater noise reduction.
Contractor community engagement We care about the environment We support local initiatives We support local charity We engage with local schools We are members of the considerate constructors scheme We support our local community We support local employment This is a selection of the work that our contractor, MSM, is carrying out in the local community