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M42 Jct 3a - Jct 7 Active Traffic Management
Active Traffic Management (ATM) Project M42 Junctions 3A-7
The construction work necessary for Active Traffic Management began in Spring 2003.
Civil engineering work included:
- Construction of emergency refuge areas
- Construction of bases for the lightweight gantries
- Production and erection of the gantries, upon which all electronic signals and signs are mounted
- Provision of lighting along the length of the scheme
- Construction of a safety barrier by the side of the verge to protect drivers and Active Traffic Management equipment
- Creation of a trough along the length of the scheme to house the cabling which supplies power and provides a connection between the CCTV cameras and the control centre
In December 2004 works between junction 3A and 5 were completed and the first elements of the project were switched on to provide benefits to road users. This enabled the lifting of the hard shoulder closure and 50mph speed limit along this section. New lighting, the Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling (MIDAS) system and new electronic signs displaying advisory speed limits over each of the running lanes, are now in use to provide a safer driving environment for the travelling public.
Commissioning work is currently ongoing between junction 5 and 7. This is well on the programmed schedule to be completed on the entire 17km length of the scheme by Summer 2005. Some limited lane closures will still be necessary over the summer whilst message signs and CCTV are commissioned, but the major aspects of construction, such as gantry installation, are now complete.
A temporary 50mph speed limit was in force on this section of the M42 to increase the safety protection of our workforce and the public passing through the works. We have experienced several accidents, including injuries to our workforce, from excessive speed through the road works. Once safety cameras and the other speed restriction measures were installed, there was a considerable reduction in the speed of vehicles, and a significant reduction in the number of accidents and disruptions to the construction works.
