New m-way gantry is smart move for traffic
A GIANT 20-tonne gantry will be lifted over the M6 as part of £274m ‘smart motorway’ upgrade.
The 40-metre wide structure will span the width of the motorway and hold 10 large electronic signs.
It will be the biggest single structure being installed as part of work on a 20-mile stretch of the M6 in Cheshire.
The work between junction 16 at Crewe and junction 19 at Knutsford involves converting the hard shoulder to a permanent extra lane and introducing new variable speed limits to help tackle congestion and keep traffic flowing.
A similar smart motorway scheme on a stretch of the M62 in West Yorkshire, which was completed in 2013, has resulted in commuters saving an average 30 minutes each week.
The gantry, between junctions 18 and 19, will be lifted into place overnight this Wednesday, with a crane lowering it on to two pillars which have already been installed on either side of the motorway. Electronic signs will be fitted to the structure at a later date.
The southbound carriageway on the M6 will be closed between junctions 19 and 18 on Wednesday from 10pm to 6am to bring the crane onto the motorway for the gantry lift.
Police will hold traffic on the northbound carriageway for several minutes during the lift so that drivers can continue their journeys once the gantry is in place, with no need for a diversion.
Stretches of the route will also be closed overnight later in the summer to install gantries on each carriageway.
About 500 people are working on the project to upgrade the M6 to a smart motorway through Cheshire. When the scheme is complete, 258 electronic signs will alert drivers to speed limit changes, lane closures and incidents ahead. Some 70 CCTV cameras will also be installed to allow Highways England traffic officers and emergency services to respond quickly to incidents. Arun Sahni, project manager at Highways England, said: “This is a major milestone for the project and a lot of planning and preparation work has been carried out to make sure the gantry can be lifted into place as quickly and safely as possible.
“We’d like to thank drivers for their patience while this work takes place. We’re on schedule to complete the smart motorway upgrade by spring next year and are doing everything we can to minimise disruption, including keeping all of the lanes open in both directions during the day.”
We’re on schedule to complete the smart motorway upgrade by spring next year Arun Sahni, Highways England