smart motorways

06/11/2013

Highways editor Alec Peachey received a call from the BBC earlier this week to be interviewed about the announcement of the introduction of smart motorways on a 17-mile stretch of the network between Junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and Junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale.

06/11/2013

The Highways Agency is consulting over plans to cut congestion and make journey times more reliable on the M60 and M62.

20/11/2013

Plans for more lanes on a section of the M60 in Manchester have been shelved by the Highways Agency.

18/12/2013

The Highways Agency will start testing its newly-installed smart motorway systems on the hard shoulder of the M5 from today (Wednesday 18 December).

20/12/2013

'Get smart, know your motorways' – that's the message from the Highways Agency as it makes increasing use of technology to make journeys smoother and more reliable for road users.

27/12/2013

Schemes to upgrade the northern and southern sections of the M25 are progressing well with sections of ‘smart motorway’ set to go live from spring 2014.  

07/01/2014

The Highways Agency is consulting on a proposal to implement a speed limit of 60mph on a stretch of the M1.  

11/04/2014

The first section of a new generation of motorways has opened on the M25 today (14 April).

16/04/2014

The latest stretch of smart motorway has opened to traffic on the M6 near Birmingham.

24/04/2014

Another section of smart motorway will open on the M25 in Kent and Surrey next week.

19/06/2014

Costain is one of four contractors that have been selected to deliver an upgrade to the M60 and M62 motorways on behalf of the Highways Agency.

08/07/2014

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has approved three new smart motorway schemes on the M1 and M3, but has rejected proposals to limit speeds to 60mph between 7am and 7pm seven days a week .

11/09/2014

Costain has been awarded two new smart motorway scheme contracts under the Highways Agency’s Major Projects Framework.

27/01/2015

The rollout of smart motorways could eventually see the speed limit increased to 80mph, according to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

14/04/2015

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has called for greater driver education on the use of smart motorways.

23/04/2015

Crown International has won a second contract to support the smart motorways speed-enforcement programme.

02/06/2015

More than 3,500 smart motorway drivers have been given help to get back on the move after breaking down in Greater Manchester.

25/06/2015

Crown International has secured a contract with Balfour Beatty to supply and install roadside masts on a stretch of smart motorway on the M3.

22/07/2015

Highways England has today appointed six joint-venture companies to design and build 10 smart motorways across England as part of a £1.5 billion investment.

08/10/2015

Hard shoulder lanes on smart motorways may not have enough strength to cope with heavy goods vehicles, according to infrastructure group Britpave.

23/02/2016

Parliament’s Transport Select Committee has received reports of concerns about some aspects of smart motorways.

12/04/2016

Figures revealed by Highways England show that an average of one driver a day is running out of fuel on the Manchester smart motorway roadworks.  

04/05/2016

Crown International has secured a £375,000 contract with Balfour Beatty to supply and install roadside masts, as part of the smart motorways project on the M5.

11/05/2016

The RAC has welcomed Highways England's review into the distance between emergency rescue areas on smart motorways.

08/06/2016

Blakedale is helping to keep smart motorways safe for motorists and maintenance crews with the introduction of a new Advanced Warning Maintenance Indicator (AWMI) post.

30/06/2016

Motorway hard shoulders should not be used as permanent driving lanes, MPs on the Transport Select Committee have warned.

26/09/2016

Eight out of 10 drivers think that the removal of hard-shoulders on smart motorways has made motorways more dangerous than four years ago, according to an AA Populus poll of 20,845 drivers. 

27/09/2016

Leading construction firm McCann has appointed Andy Cunnington as project manager to work on the M1 smart motorway upgrade.

29/09/2016

The Transport Select Committee says the government must not ignore safety concerns presented by its recent All lane running report.

07/11/2016

The introduction of smart motorways has seen a big rise in speeding fines, according to an investigation by the BBC’s One Show.

09/12/2016

CCTV footage released by Highways England shows road workers chasing after a motorist who ignored a road closure on the M60 in Eccles.  

12/12/2016

Balfour Beatty VINCI, the joint venture working on the conversion of the M5 Junctions 4a to 6 smart motorway project, says it has achieved "significant results" through the use of 4D modelling as a management tool.

10/01/2017

Motorists caught offending on smart motorways may be offered the chance to go on a course rather than getting points and a fine.

30/01/2017

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM has secured five contracts with Highways England worth a total of more than £25 million.

02/02/2017

The Mott MacDonald Sweco joint venture (MMS JV) has been appointed by Highways England to develop the design elements of two smart motorways between junctions 4-11 of the M27 and junctions 9-14 of the M3.

17/04/2018

A manufacturer has given details of how its coupling innovation is set to save a Highways England Smart Motorway project nearly a quarter of a million pounds.

04/06/2018

Costain has won the M6 J21a-26 smart motorway contract from Highways England to work on the upgrade between the M62 and M58 junctions in north west England.

20/06/2018

Highways England is planning to adopt a full 10-year alliance model for its smart motorway programme, following a process of market engagement.

12/07/2018

A £373m scheme to upgrade a 23-mile section of the M1 to an all lane running smart motorway is to start next month.

06/08/2018

Highways England has announced that the upgrade of the M60 in Greater Manchester to a smart motorway is now complete.

08/08/2018

WSP has been appointed by Highways England as the designer on two smart motorway contracts worth more than £2.6m.

16/08/2018

Highways England has announced plans to remove a 150-tonne section of concrete bridge across the M6 in one piece to make room for an all lane running smart motorway.

16/12/2018

SMART Highways editor Paul Hutton has explained some of the technology behind all lane running smart motorways on a BBC Radio Five Live programme examining their safety.

15/02/2019

Highways England has announced changes to the delivery of its a smart motorway programme, including delays to works on the M56 near Manchester Airport and the M6 between Warrington and Wigan, as well as wider technical changes.

04/04/2019

The days of the conventional motorway are over and its textbook is set for its last edition, Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan told Highways in an exclusive interview.

16/04/2019

The president of the AA has criticised Highways England for not acting quickly enough to improve safety on ‘smart motorway’ all lane running schemes, including shortening the distance between emergency refuge areas for broken-down vehicles.

26/06/2019

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09/07/2019

A senior figure in the sector has called for more proactive asphalt protection planning in utilities works and smart motorway upgrades - warning that a lack of early investment could see cracks appear in motorways.

27/09/2019

Highways England has pledged a range of actions to help reassure road users of the safety of all lane running smart motorways after coming under pressure to step up its game on safety.

29/11/2019

More than two-thirds (68%) of drivers in England think removing the hard shoulder on all lane running smart motorways compromises safety for people who breakdown in a live lane, according to the RAC.

18/12/2019

Kier Highways has installed three large cantilever gantries on a smart motorway project over a nine-night period while the motorway remained open.