Highways Agency

M62 Liverpool to Hull

The Strategy

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Introduction

The Route Management Strategy consists of a ten-year Route Management Plan and a three-year Route Action Plan for the M62. Our aim has been to produce a strategy that is deliverable, affordable and has been influenced by regional stakeholders and the public.

It helps the Highways Agency to take a strategic approach to:

• maintenance, operation and improvement of the route
• helping improve the economy
• planning and optimising investment
• enhancing the environment
• improving accessibility
• improving safety
• encouraging integration with other modes of transport.

A public consultation was held in June 2000 to gain public views about draft proposals for the Strategy. The results have been analysed and ideas taken into account for the final publication of the Strategy.

What are the Public's Priorities?

As part of the consultation, members of the public were asked to rate what they thought were the main issues on the M62 route. The responses were recorded as follows:

• congestion 72%
• accidents 13%
• noise 7%
• pollution 6%
• other 2%

What will be done to maintain & improve the M62

Reducing Congestion

• local improvements to help reduce congestion will be identified & carried out by the Agency

Encouraging Integration

• through contributions to the planning process, the Agency aims to provide a route that sustains the economy of the area
• the implementation of Park and Ride schemes and assistance with bus crossing movements at junctions will be examined and considered in partnership with local authorities and transport operators.

Improving Safety

Safety will be improved by:

• reviewing, monitoring and enforcing speed limits at certain locations
• looking at why accidents happen and finding ways to reduce them
• providing better vehicle recovery facilities (near Hull)
• better signage for public transport, ports and airports (in conjunction with local authorities)
• investment in motorway communications technology
• the provision of more rest areas near the M62 & A63 to the east of the A1.

Enhancing the Environment

The Highways Agency will:

• agree procedures for noise reduction in partnership with local authorities
• identify and put into operation ways of protecting local rivers and streams from road surface run-off
• develop a strategy in partnership with local authorities to improve air quality
• develop landscape and biodiversity management plans to improve the environment and encourage wildlife to flourish

Improving Accessibility

• Improved crossing facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders will be provided.

Multi Model Studies

Some ideas from the draft Strategy are now being considered by Multi Model Studies

• designated lanes along sections of the M62 route
• Motorway Access Management on entry sliproads
• Active Traffic Management projects along sections of the M62 route
• major national schemes, including possible widening.

The Multi Modal Studies cover key sections of the M62. They are considering how different ways of travel can be developed to ease congestion on the route.

Current Improvement Proposals

• M62 junction 26 improvement will be investigated through the Multi Modal Study
• the reduction of merge related delays at M62 Junction 10
• new junction 8 and M62 widening between junctions 8 and 9
• M62 junction 6 improvement *
• A63 Melton Grade Separated Junction *
• A63 Ferensway junction improvement

*These actions are subject to TPI programme and statutory procedures.

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Route Functions and Objectives

The M62 functions have been identified and refined through a series of workshops and other investigative work. These functions have been classified as Strategic, Regional and Local.

The Strategic functions of the route are:

• Is part of the E20 Trans-European Network for East - West movements between Hull and Liverpool and also forms part of the E22 between the A1and the M6.
• Provides the major transport link for the movement of freight from the maritime ports of Hull, Goole and Liverpool and the international airports of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds/Bradford and Humberside to the rest of the UK.
• Provides a major transport link between Humberside, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire.
• Is the most important East - West link within the UK motorway network between the Midlands and Scotland, connecting the M57, M6, M60, M61, M66, M1, and M18 motorways

The Regional functions of the route are:

• Provides East - West movements from the Northwest conurbation to the M6
• Provides East - West movements from the West Yorkshire conurbation to the M1 and A1
• Provides East - West movements from the Humberside conurbation to South Yorkshire and North Midlands conurbations via the M18 as well as providing a direct link to the West Yorkshire conurbation
• Forms a major transport artery for conurbations 'off route' e.g. Bolton, Leeds
• Provides a distributor function around large population centres.

The Local functions of the Route are:

• It forms part of the Manchester Outer Ring Road between Junction 12 and Junction 18 acting as an orbital route around the Manchester urban conurbation.
• It forms part of the main commuter route for traffic entering the cities of Hull and Liverpool
• Provides local access. Near urban areas, a significant amount of short distance commuting and local trip making occurs.

3 Year Route Action Plan

The 3-year Route Action Plan complements the Route Management Plan, and identifies in more detail the actions to be implemented in the next 3 years.

The Route Action Plan lists actions that are required in the near future to ensure that the ten-year Management Plan is effectively implemented. The Route Action Plan will be updated at least annually, to ensure that actions for the following 3 years are clearly identified throughout the Strategy.

10 Year Route Management Plan

The M62 Route Management Strategy is summarised in the Route Management Plan. This is a programme of actions for the route over the next 10 years

The Route Management Plan was developed through problem identification, a series of workshops with representatives of stakeholders on the route, action studies to identify ways to address the problems, and an extensive public consultation exercise.

The ten-year Route Management Plan will be reviewed every three years. A workshop will be convened to review progress in implementing the strategy, monitor the effectiveness of the proposals, and reconsider the benefits of any of the actions in the strategy in the light of any change circumstances. The 10-year route management plan is shown in Figure 3b.