What is happening?

We are working to improve the M62 by making it a "managed motorway" between junctions 25 and 30.

Managed motorways help relieve congestion by using technology to vary speed limits. They also allow the hard shoulder to be used as a running lane at peak times to create additional capacity. They deliver these benefits at a significantly lower cost than conventional motorway widening and with less impact on the environment during construction. Find out more about Managed Motorways.

Once complete, this scheme will allow the hard shoulder to be used as a running lane from junctions 26 to 28 and from junctions 29 to 30 eastbound during congested periods.

The section between junction 28 and 29 already has four lanes so we do not need to create additional capacity there.

Due to complicated merges and diverges between junctions 25 and 26 and between junctions 30 and 29 westbound we will not be able to use the hard shoulder as a running lane there. Instead we will turn the hard shoulder in a permanent running lane, giving these sections of the M62 four permanent lanes. This is known as "controlled all lane running".

We will be creating emergency refuge areas approximately every 800-1000 meters. These will provide vehicles a dedicated safe place to stop in the event of a breakdown if the hard shoulder is in use as a running lane. The refuge areas have emergency telephones and are monitored by our Regional Control Centre cameras so that we can send assistance if required.

When and where is this happening?

Work started on 13 October 2011. We are working section by section and aim to have the first two sections fully operational in summer 2013 with the rest entering operation by Autumn 2013.

This scheme is taking place on the M62, a strategic transpennine east-west route across the north of England that connects Yorkshire and the Humber to Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. It is an important international route forming part of Euroroute 22 between Dublin and Russia. It is also an important local route, connecting the conurbations of Bradford and Leeds.

Why is this happening and what will it cost?

This work is needed as this route is used by over 144,000 vehicles per day and suffers from heavy congestion and unpredictable journey times, especially during peak periods. Congestion on the motorway and strategic road network in England costs an estimate £3 billion every year, with 25% of this resulting from incidents. A business case for the scheme can be found on the Publications page.

The estimated outturn cost for this scheme is £133 million.

How will the scheme be carried out?

We are constructing the scheme in a phased approach as follows:

• Junction 27 to 28: commenced October 2011
• Junction 26 to 27: commenced November 2011
• Junction 25 to 26: commenced March 2012
• Junction 29 to 30: commenced June 2012
• Junction 28 to 29: commenced August 2012

We are also taking a phased approach to the opening of the scheme. The first 2 links will be fully operational by Summer 2013, with the remaining 3 links full operational by Autumn 2013.

What are the benefits?

Implementing managed motorways on the M62 in West Yorkshire will improve safety and make journeys more reliable. This in turn creates economic benefits for the region and the country as a whole. Our economic assessment of the scheme has concluded that every pound we invest in improving the M62 between junction 25 and 30 will generate approximately six pounds in economic benefits in return.

We already have evidence of the benefits that a managed motorway scheme can bring. The first managed motorway scheme opened to traffic on the M42 motorway in 2006. Recent analysis of the data gather since opening has found that journey time reliability improved by 22 per cent and reduced emissions by up to 10 per cent due to traffic flowing more smoothly. In addition, personal injury accidents have reduced by more than half (55.7%) since hard shoulder running was introduced. There was also an overall reduction in the severity of accidents with zero fatalities and fewer seriously injured.

How do I find out more information ?

More information will be posted on this project page as it becomes available. You can subscribe to be alerted when updates are made.

If you have any queries about this project you should contact the Highways Agency Information Line by emailing ha_​info@​highways.​gsi.​gov.​uk or calling 0300 123 5000.

Why are speed restrictions in place?

We have implemented speed restrictions for the safety of drivers and our roadworkers. The motorway is a dangerous place to work, with roadworkers often in close proximity to fast moving vehicles. Between 2005 and 2010, nine road workers were killed and ten seriously injured while working on motorways and major A roads in England as a direct result of accidents at roadworks. Over the same period seven drivers and three passengers were reported to have been killed after they were involved in an accident while driving through roadworks.

We appreciate that our roadworks will cause some delays. However, driving through half a mile of roadworks at 50mph takes just ten seconds more than at 70mph and is a minimal amount of time to lose when it does so much to increase safety. Find out more about safety at roadworks and what you can do to help.

Will there be roadworks?

Yes, in order to carry out the works safely we will need to implement speed and lane restrictions for the duration of the scheme. Some of our works, such as gantry installation, cannot be undertaken safely with traffic using the motorway and will require closures. We have scheduled these to take place overnight on weekends, when traffic flows are lighter, to keep disruption to the travelling public to a minimum.

Forthcoming closures are listed below. Works are weather-dependant and may have to be cancelled at short notice. Diversion timings are approximate and act as a guideline only. This information is not updated in real time; please check Traffic England for current traffic conditions.

Road Works

How will you manage traffic?

Hard shoulder closures, narrower lanes and safety barriers are in place so we can carry out our works safely while maintaining three lanes in both directions. We have implemented a 50mph speed restriction for the safety of drivers and our roadworkers. This may seem frustrating, but driving through half a mile of roadworks at 50mph takes just ten seconds more than at 70mph, while greatly increasing safety. Find out more about the speed restriction in our FAQ.

Will there be diversions?

For resurfacing work closures between junctions 25 & 26, traffic will divert:

Westbound (toward Manchester) traffic will be diverted via the A58, A641 & A644. Eastbound (toward Leeds) traffic will be diverted via the A644, A62 & A638.

For closures between junctions 26 & 27, traffic will divert:

Westbound traffic will be diverted via the A650 and A58 Eastbound traffic will be diverted via A58 and A650

For closures between junctions 27 & 28, traffic will divert:

Westbound and Eastbound traffic will be diverted via the A650

For gantry refurbishment closures between junctions 28 & 29, traffic will divert:

Westbound (toward Manchester) traffic will be diverted via the M1 northbound & M621 Eastbound (toward Hull) traffic will be diverted via the M621 & M1 southbound

For gantry installation closures between junctions 29 & 30, traffic will divert:

Westbound (toward Manchester) traffic will be diverted via the M1 northbound, A639 & A642. Eastbound (toward Hull) traffic will be diverted via the A642, A639 & M1 southbound

You can also download the diversion between junctions 25-26 as an interactive PDF: M62 J25 to J26 Closure Diversion Route (470KB PDF).

You can also download the diversion between junctions 26-27 as an interactive PDF:M62 J26 to J27 Closure Diversion Route (447KB PDF)

You can also download the diversion between junctions 27-28 as an interactive PDF:M62 J27 to J28 Closure Diversion Route (447KB PDF)

You can also download the diversion between junctions 28-29 as an interactive PDF: M62 J28 to J29 Closure Diversion Route (447KB PDF).

You can also download the diversion between junctions 29-30 as an interactive PDF: M62 J29 to J30 Closure Diversion Route (415KB PDF).

Business Case

Leaflet

Plan

Report

Scheme Location Map

View larger version of this map

Scheme Gallery

We have produced a film for YouTube using our in-house media services team, to address frequently asked questions about the scheme:

Section 1 - Construction FAQs

The questions below are related to the construction of the managed motorway.

Q. Why can't you work in small sections so there isn't as much traffic management?

A. Our workforce is working across whole sections of motorway and constantly moving. This means we need large sections of traffic management to be in place.

The traffic management ensures your safety, for example where there are changes in road layout. It also ensures the safety of our roadworkers, who need a safe working area and safe access into the works.

Our permanent traffic management and speed restrictions (the roadworks) are only installed in the areas that we are permanently working in.

Q. Why can't you remove traffic management when you are not working?

A. Sadly this is not possible. It takes approximately one week of work to prepare the motorway to install permanent traffic management. This involves burning off the existing lines, installing new road studs and white lines. It then takes approximately three nights to install the safety barrier required to protect road workers and road users. It takes a similar amount of time to remove and return the motorway to its normal condition.

There are also safety implications. Working on the motorway is dangerous. The more often our operatives are required to install and remove traffic management, the greater their risk. Between 2005 and 2010, nine road workers were killed and ten were seriously injured while working on motorways and major A roads in England as a direct result of accidents at roadworks.

Q. Couldn't a less disruptive form of traffic management be used?

A. We've taken every step possible to keep disruption to a minimum. The traffic management has been designed to keep three lanes open in both directions to maintain existing motorway capacity, with the only change to normal motorway conditions being the hard shoulder closure and the 50mph speed restriction.

We recognise that without the hard shoulder available delays can occur in the event of incidents or breakdowns. This is why we have put a free vehicle recovery service in operation. This clears incidents and breakdowns quickly and recovers people to a safe location. The average response time of the free vehicle recovery service on the managed motorway scheme is 15 minutes.

To further minimise disruption to the travelling public we are only carrying out works that require lane, slip road and motorways closures at night and/or at weekends, when traffic flows are considerably lighter.

Q. Why is there a 50mph speed restriction?

A. We have implemented speed restrictions for the safety of drivers and our roadworkers. The motorway is a dangerous place to work, with roadworkers often in close proximity to fast moving vehicles. Between 2005 and 2010, nine road workers were killed and ten seriously injured while working on motorways and major A roads in England as a direct result of accidents at roadworks.

Over the same period seven drivers and three passengers were reported to have been killed after they were involved in an accident while driving through roadworks.

Q. My journey time has increased since the 50mph speed restriction

We appreciate that our roadworks will cause some delays. However, driving through half a mile of roadworks at 50mph takes just ten seconds more than at 70mph and is a small amount of time to lose when it does so much to increase safety.

Q. Why can't the 50mph restriction be lifted when you are not working?

A. We have changed the layout of the motorway through the works by installing narrower lanes and adding a safety barrier on the hard shoulder which is in close proximity to live traffic. It is simply not safe for the speed limit to remain at 70mph in light of these changes.

Stopping and starting the restrictions could result in confusion for drivers regarding the current speed limit. This would create a significant safety concern; working on the motorway is dangerous and increasing speeds through our roadworks creates significantly more risk.

Q. Why don't you work 24/7 to complete the scheme faster?

A. We investigated 24/7 working for the M62 managed motorway scheme and found that it would cost the taxpayer 50 per cent more without delivering significant programme savings.

We have a significant number of residents in close proximity to these schemes and working 24/7 and every weekend would cause them considerable disturbance. However we do take the opportunity to work as often as we can to finish work quickly.

Q. Why has my journey got worse since your works started?

A. We appreciate that our works impact on people's journeys and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We do take every possible step to keep disruption to a minimum.

The M62 is one of the most congested motorways in the country, with over 144,000 vehicles using the M62 between junctions 25 and 30 everyday. This section of the M62 is characterised by unreliable journey times and constant stop / start journeys, especially at peak times. Seasonal affects such as the end of school holidays, bad weather and accidents can further exacerbate existing problems.

The aim of the managed motorway scheme once complete is to reduce congestion and make journey times more reliable. This can only be good news for road users.

While roadworks can be frustrating, our research shows that only 10 per cent of delays on our motorway network were caused by roadworks. 65 per cent of delays are due to volume of traffic and 25 per cent are due to road accidents.

Q. Why don't I see people working on weekends?

A. The majority of work takes place Monday to Friday however, we do work weekends, often closing the motorway to ensure the scheme is finished more quickly.

Q. Why do you need to close the motorway?

A. We need to close the motorway in order for us to carry out the work safely. We will only resurface one side of the motorway at a time so the motorway will only be closed in one direction. The closures will be during the week and overnight, from 8pm in the evening until 6am the following morning.

Closing the motorway also has the advantage of allowing us to work more efficiently by resurfacing all the lanes at the same time, rather than one lane at a time (which would also take longer).

Q. When will the scheme be open to the public?

The scheme will be opened, link by link, in a phased approach.

You can view a plan of the opening phases and dates on the Publications page.

Q. The first link between junctions 27 and 28 looks finished, why is there a 50mph speed restriction?

The first link is unique in that the speed limit will be temporarily kept to a maximum of 50mph rather than returned to national speed limit. This is for safety reasons. The links either side of junction 27 and 28 still have works going on and are still under a temporary 50mph speed restriction. It is therefore not safe or consistent for drivers to have such a short section running at national speed limit with road works either side.

Section 2- Managed Motorway FAQs

The questions below relate to the operation of the managed motorway.

Q. What do the signals mean?

The sig­nals inform dri­vers of traf­fic con­di­tions ahead, speed lim­its and the avail­abil­ity of lanes. The following signals apply.

Blank signal

This is applic­a­ble to all lanes, includ­ing the hard shoul­der, and means that nor­mal motor­way rules apply. The hard shoul­der is only for use in case of an emer­gency or breakdown.

Mandatory speed limit

This is applic­a­ble to all lanes, includ­ing the hard shoul­der, and means that this is the max­i­mum per­mit­ted speed. The speed will be enforced by dig­i­tal enforce­ment cameras.

White arrow with flash­ing beacons

This sign is applic­a­ble to all lanes, includ­ing the hard shoul­der, and means that you should move into the lane as directed.

Red Cross with flash­ing beacons

This sign is applic­a­ble to all lanes, includ­ing the hard shoul­der, and means that you must not pro­ceed any fur­ther in this lane.

Red Cross with­out flash­ing beacons

Only use the hard shoul­der in an emer­gency or break­down, as per the High­way Code. Note that this sign will only appear when man­aged motor­ways are in oper­a­tion. When all signs are blank nor­mal motor­way rules apply and the hard shoul­der must only be used in an emergency.

National speed limit

National speed lim­its apply– applic­a­ble to all lanes, except the hard shoul­der which is avail­able for emer­gency use only.

What do I do in a breakdown?

Get to an emergency refuge area

If you cannot leave the motorway, you should try to get to an emergency refuge area. Contact our staff via the emergency roadside telephone for help and information.

Stop on hard shoulder

If you cannot leave the motorway or reach an emergency refuge area you should try to get to the hard shoulder.

Hard shoulder is for emergency use only

If you stop on the hard shoulder in an emergency, follow the advice in the Highway Code. If safe to do so, exit the vehicle with great care, using the doors facing away from the passing traffic and wait behind the barrier.

Hard shoulder is open as a running lane

If possible try to get your vehicle off the carriageway as advised in the Highway Code or onto the verge if safe to do so. Put on the sidelights and hazard warning lights, if working, to help other drivers and our staff to see you. (i.e. on-road Traffic Officers and/or control centre staff via CCTV, which also work in low-light conditions).

Stop in live lane

If you have no other choice but to stop in a live lane, you should put on the sidelights and hazard warning lights, if working, to help other drivers and our staff to see you. If, for any reason, you cannot or believe that it would be unsafe to exit the vehicle, or there is no other place of relative safety to wait, you should remain in the vehicle with your seat belts on. Put on the sidelights and hazard warning lights, if working, to help other drivers and our staff to see you (i.e. on-road Traffic Officers and/or control centre staff via CCTV, which also work in low-light conditions).

Our control room

If you stop in an emergency refuge area, our control room staff will be made aware of your vehicle as it enters the area. If you stop on the hard shoulder, our staff in the control centre will be made aware of the position of your vehicle. If you stop in a live lane, as traffic builds, we’ll be made aware of a problem and will be able to spot you via CCTV cameras, which also work in low-light conditions. We will use the signs and signals to close lanes in order to protect your stranded vehicle until help can assist you. We may close lanes to allow access for emergency vehicles.

Q. How will drivers know when they can use the hard shoulder?

Once complete, this scheme will allow the hard shoulder to be used as a running lane from junctions 26 to 28 and from junctions 29 to 30 eastbound during congested periods. The hard shoulder will be available for use by road users when a speed limit is displayed over it. The hard shoulder is for emergency use only when there is a red X displayed or a blank signal.

The section between junction 28 and 29 already has four lanes so we do not need to create additional capacity there. In this section, the hard shoulder will be for emergency use only.

Due to complicated merges and diverges between junctions 25 and 26 and between junctions 30 and 29 westbound we will not be able to use the hard shoulder as a running lane there. Instead we will turn the hard shoulder into a permanent running lane, giving these sections of the M62 four permanent lanes. This is known as "controlled all lane running".

Q How do the emergency responders reach an incident if the hard shoulder is in use as a running lane?

In the event of an incident the regional control centre will assist the emergency responders by advising them on the most appropriate route to access the incident.

Where appropriate, signs and signals will be set to clear and protect the route. If the hard shoulder is not open, it will generally be the preferred route for access to the incident. Typically, a red X will be set, above the selected access route to close the lane (s) to traffic. Supporting variable message signs will be set to reinforce the closure instruction and warn approaching drivers.

Q How frequent are the emergency refuge areas?

Emergency refuge areas are spaced at intervals of approximately 800m between junctions 25 and 28, and between junctions 29 and 30. Emergency refuge areas are for emergency use only. The section between Junctions 28 and junction 29 has 4 permanent lanes and a discontinuous hard shoulder. The hard shoulder is for emergency use only between junctions 28 and 29.

What will we be doing?

• Strengthening hard shoulder for use as a lane
• Providing new verge-side lighting
• Providing new gantries and variable message signs
• Improving drainage
• Providing environmental mitigation measures
• Removing vegetation

Contraflows and speed restrictions to keep everyone safe

• There will be 3 narrow lanes in each direction while our workforce widens the other carriageway
• An average speed limit of 50mph will be enforced throughout the roadworks for your safety as a motorist and for the safety of our workforce

Vehicle Recovery

• During the construction period, CCTV cameras will be installed on the motorway to support the management of incidents
• The CCTV team will promptly identify incidents and notify our vehicle recovery teams to assist stranded motorists
• A free vehicle recovery service will be provided within the road works
• We will provide facilities for stranded motorists where they can make arrangements to continue their onward journeys

The majority of works for a managed motorway scheme take place in the highway verges and on the hard shoulder. In order to carry out these works safely we will be required to close the hard shoulder.

We will be operating a free vehicle recovery service in the event that anyone breaks down and cannot make it to a safe location. The entire length of our works is covered by CCTV cameras which are monitored by a dedicated team in our control room.

In the event of a breakdown the stranded vehicle can be identified quickly and the free vehicle recovery service dispatched to take motorists and their vehicle to a safe location.