UK’s busy M6 motorway widening

The UK’s busy M6 motorway is benefiting from widening work.
By MJ Woof October 16, 2024 Read time: 2 mins
Additional lanes on the UK’s M6 motorway will help cut congestion – image © courtesy of Costain

The UK’s busy M6 motorway is benefiting from new lanes being opened between junctions 21a and 26. National Highways is opening an extra lane for drivers on both the northbound and southbound carriageways along 16km of the M6 between junction 21a and junction 26, the Orrell interchange with the M58.

The newly upgraded Warrington to Wigan section will feature a speed limit of 80km/h (50mph) with other interim safety measures in place, until work to calibrate technology, including stopped vehicle detection, is completed. The upgrade is then expected to fully open, with the 112km/h (70mph) maximum speed limit, by next spring.

Alongside adding an extra lane in both directions, the upgrade has involved providing extra technology and safety upgrades, including stopped vehicle detection. This uses radar technology to alert National Highways’ control centre operators who can then close lanes with a red X signal, display modified speed limits and deploy traffic officers.  

Costain has been the on-site partner for the scheme, leading the delivery of improvements on this key strategic route which carries around 120,000 vehicles/day between Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. The scheme will improve the lives of those in the region by reducing congestion and improving travel times, making journeys more reliable and assisting economic growth in the North West.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tailgating and speeding common safety issue on UK’s roads
    May 19, 2014
    Research carried out in the UK suggests that safety problems such as tailgating and speeding are common on UK motorways. According to the survey carried out jointly by road safety body Brake and insurance firm Direct Line, 57% of UK drivers admit to tailgating while 60% admit breaking the speed limit by 16km/h (10mph) or more. Male drivers are far the worst offenders however.
    Read More
  • Smart motorway project for UK’s M3
    July 23, 2014
    Balfour Beatty is to work on a €163.5 million (£129 million) upgrade project for a 21.4km stretch of the M3 motorway in the UK. The work involves upgrading the route to smart motorway status and is being carried out for the UK Government’s Highways Agency. This project will increase capacity, reduce congestion and shorten journey times for the 120,000 motorists/day using the route. This section of the motorway runs through the counties of Hampshire and Surrey, between Junction 2 which is interchange with th
    Read More
  • Colorado construction contract commencing
    June 21, 2023
    Work is commencing on a key Colorado construction contract.
    Read More
  • India’s new expressway under construction
    July 19, 2022
    India’s longest new expressway is under construction.
    Read More

Highlighted Content