New motorway at Bruntingthorpe used by Highways Agency

20/12/2013 | HIGHWAYS REPORTERS

Britain’s newest motorway has opened in Leicestershire – at the site of next year’s Seeing is Believing event. 

The mile-long M-way has been specially created by Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and airfield on part of its main, 1.9-mile-long, runway – one of the longest in the UK. Its first users were traffic officers from the Highways Agency.

Seeing is Believing, which is returning to Bruntingthorpe next year, offers exhibitors a unique opportunity to demonstrate products and services outside on a real road environment, with day, dusk and night time conditions – in a scenario best suited to your product or service. The event is taking place from 19 to 20 November 2014.

The M-way was created for the training of the majority of England’s traffic officers, who are trained to high standards for their role, which includes helping motorists, managing traffic, supporting traffic police and other emergency services and removing broken-down or damaged vehicles from roads in England.  The Agency’s emergency carriageway clearance training at Bruntingthorpe focused on the efficient towing to safety of stranded vehicles while safeguarding personnel and equipment.

Paul Atkin, general manager of business development at Bruntingthorpe, said the three-lane motorway, complete with hard shoulder and central reservation, had been created by careful white-lining of the first 1,500 metres of the site’s main runway. “It’s as realistic as it can possibly be without actually being a motorway.  It has the added advantage of an adjacent fully-equipped classroom with all the usual facilities. So there’s no travelling or delay for the officers as they leave the classroom theory lessons to undertake practical towing exercises on the motorway.

“While the final sign-off for traffic officer training is always undertaken on a ‘live’ motorway, our facility provides exactly the right controlled environment for more than 90% of the training with none of the very real hazards and dangers posed by an uncontrolled, live environment. To help the Highways Agency we provided a selection of vehicles to act as the stranded victims of motorway breakdowns and collisions. The Highways Agency stationed six of its familiar 4x4s here at Bruntingthorpe proving ground for the duration of the training.”

Not long after the towing training programme finished, the Highways Agency again used Bruntingthorpe’s M-way for the training of traffic officers. This time it was for the safe deployment of emergency protection screens. These are trailer-mounted screens that are towed to incident scenes where they are quickly erected to screen-off the site from passing motorists. It is not uncommon for drivers passing crash scenes to cause more crashes as a result of what’s known as ‘rubber-necking’.

“We’re not surprised our new M-way was again used by the Highways Agency,” adds Atkin. “We believe this new facility will be highly sought-after as it provides a safe and perfect location for a wide range of clients. We envisage TV companies, filmmakers, driver-training organisations, traffic-management crews and the emergency services will all consider its potential and we’ve already had numerous enquiries. We fully expect Bruntingthorpe’s M-way to be extremely busy.”

For further information on Seeing is Believing click here.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Senior Civil Engineer - Major Projects x 4

£45,894.00 - £54,952.00
We are looking for experienced engineers to help us progress a number of key projects and programmes Glasgow, Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Technician - Maintenance

£31001.0000 - £36471.0000 per annum
Essex Highways is responsible for managing and maintaining one of the largest highway networks in the country
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Highways Contract Engineer

£46,731 - £49,764
The team helps provide a safe road network that operates efficiently and effectively.  Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Principal Transport Planner

£46,731 - £49,764 (pro-rata)
We are looking for an experienced professional to join us on a six-month temporary contact as a Principal Transport Planner. Kettering, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Highways Maintenance Operative Broughton, Brigg
Recruiter: Amey

Head of Highways Contracts & Network

£81,803 progressing to £90,664 per annum
The team includes approximately 60 directly employed HCC people Hertfordshire
Recruiter: Hertfordshire County Council

Principal Construction Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Principal Construction Manager Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Quality Technician

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Quality Technician Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)

£42679.0000 - £50211.0000 per annum
Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)Permanent, Full Time£43,960 to £51,718 per annum*Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Project Manager (Major Projects)

£44,711 - £47,754
Are you an experienced project professional or engineer with looking to take the next step in your career? Halifax, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Civil Engineer - Roads

£45,894 - £54,952
Are you an experienced engineer looking to support the Scottish Government’s national objectives. Scotland
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Project Team Manager

£55,147 to £60,676 per annum
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for a role as Design Team Manager Norwich, Norfolk
Recruiter: Norfolk County Council

Clerk of Works

GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Assistant Projects Engineer

GRADE 06 (£29,093 - £32,654),GRADE 07 (£33,366 - £37,035), GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Traffic Management

£45,718 - £48,710 per annum
At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. Bath, Somerset
Recruiter: Bath & North East Somerset Council

Vehicle Technician - Improver

£28,624 - £30,060
Transport Services is responsible for all aspects of transport and related services Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Programme Delivery Office Administrator

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum
At Derbyshire, we have been on a journey to transform the way we deliver highway services to make them fit for the future Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Support Officer - Highways Asset Management Systems

£31,586 - £34,314
We are a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving our highway infrastructure. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Electrical Engineer

Grade 9 £34,314 to £37,938 - Grade 10 £37,035 to £40,476 - Grade 11 £39,513 to £43,693 - Grade 12 £42,708 to £46,731 p.a.
The Construction Consultancy Services (CCS) team provide client-side construction consultancy services across a range of professional disciplines to d Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW