Another section of smart motorway will open on the M25 in Kent and Surrey next week.
Early next Wednesday (30 April) morning, the M25 between junctions 5 and 6/7 will open with the hard shoulder converted for use as a permanent traffic lane and enhanced on-road technology to manage traffic flow to improve the reliability of journey times, providing a boost for businesses and the wider economy.
This follows the opening of the smart motorway on the M25 between junctions 23 and 25 in Hertfordshire with traffic using the improved section since Monday 14 April.
The improvements on both sections of the M25 are part of a new generation of technology-driven improvements on the strategic road network known as smart motorways with the permanent conversion of the hard shoulder for traffic, providing 24/7 extra capacity. The introduction of smart motorways will reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability for drivers and maintain safety.
John Martin, Highways Agency senior project manager, said: “The improvements on the M25 in Kent and Surrey are part of the £1.7 billion of investment into roads in the south east by 2021. The new smart motorway will provide extra capacity and offer more reliable journeys for the 140,000 drivers that use this stretch of road every day.
“I’m particularly pleased that the southern section of the M25 has opened well ahead of planned completion this winter thanks to rescheduling of the programme. Ahead of the opening next week, I would like to ask drivers to get smart and find out more about how to use it, the types of signs and signals they will see and what to do in the event of a breakdown.”
The new infrastructure and technology that has been added between junctions 5 and 7, includes:
Nine gantries that span both carriageways
10 refuge areas
13 emergency telephones
88 overhead signals
33 verge mounted signs
38 CCTV cameras
Construction continues on the smart motorway M25 between junctions 25 and 27 in Essex and completion is expected this winter.
