National Highways is lifting traffic management on the eastern section of its project to convert 32 miles of the M4 to all lane running (ALR) and will now begin testing stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology on the stretch.
It follows the full opening of the M27 last week, where the national speed limit was restored four months after SVD testing began in mid-February.
The government-owned company said a 60mph speed limit and other interim safety measures will remain in place on the M4 between junctions 3and 8/9 while final technology tests are carried out and that it would ‘not rush these essential preparations'.
National Highways has said that it will not open new schemes until ALR is installed. If SVD testing on the scheme takes as long as it did on the M27, the scheme is likely to miss the new target for the technology to be operational on all ALR schemes by September.
The western section of the upgrade has already fully opened but has already seen a fatal crash involving a stranded vehicle. In May, National Highways executive director for operations, Duncan Smith, told Highways that the crash had occurred after the SVD system had detected a stopped vehicle but an error had prevented an alert being raised.
National Highways delivery director, Mike Grant, said: ‘Hundreds of thousands of people across the South East are already benefiting from the huge investment on the M4 which has taken place over the last few years when we opened the upgraded western section last year.
‘Virtually all construction work is complete, and as part of our final preparations we will now be undertaking work to calibrate the technology, including stopped vehicle detection. Safety continues to be our top priority, and we will not rush these essential preparations.
‘Once complete it means motorists along this whole 32-mile stretch of the M4 will benefit from improved journey times, and we ask drivers to bear with us while we prepare for opening.'
