Just 13 smart motorway safety bays built out of 150

NATIONAL HIGHWAYS has been accused of “dragging its heels” on motorists’ safety after its chief executive admitted that just 10 per cent of smart motorway refuges had been built.

Nick Harris, the roads agency boss, said yesterday that just 13 out of 150 planned new lay-bys for stricken vehicles had been completed.

Ministers promised in 2022 that extra refuges would be built starting in that year, which was a year before Rishi Sunak cancelled the planned expansion of the smart motorways programme.

At least 79 deaths have been linked to smart motorways – existing motorways that have had their hard shoulders converted into “live” lanes to carry extra traffic.

Mr Harris told the House of Commons transport committee that “we’ve only delivered 13 so far” when asked for a progress update on the new refuges.

He said he was “confident that we will deliver the 150” by 2025, adding: “We have to care about money, and we’re trying to build them to the budget.”

National Highways said building more refuges would give drivers “added reassurance”.

The Telegraph understands that five of the 13 new refuges are on the M6 between junctions 13 and 15, with a further eight on the M1 between Milton Keynes and Northampton.

MPS accused National Highways of being too slow to ensure motorists’ safety, with some calling for the scheme to be abandoned altogether.

Sarah Champion, a Labour MP who campaigns against smart motorways on safety grounds, said: “It is appalling that National Highways continues to drag its heels on motorists’ safety.

“These roads should never have been built in the first place. But the very least we deserve is for promised safety upgrades to be completed promptly.”