New emergency areas to be built on the M27 this coming summer
They will be two of 52 such new areas across the region
More than 50 new emergency areas are set to be installed on the motorways in the South
East – including the M27 – as part of a nationwide safety programme.
Twenty-four new emergency areas are planned for two sections of the M25 – with construction due to begin in Hertfordshire and Essex from Thursday, April 25. The M20 in Kent, M3 in Surrey and Hampshire, and M4 in Berkshire will also see upgrades to install more emergency areas from late April and early May, with the M27 following later in the summer.
A total of 52 emergency areas are to be built in this phase of the programme, with the two on the M27 being between junction 4 for the M3 and 11 at Fareham.
The upgrades are part of work to add more emergency areas to all lane running motorways across the country. National Highways is committed to building more than 150 new emergency areas to give drivers more places to stop in an emergency.
Emergency areas provide a place to stop for drivers in an emergency if they are unable to leave the motorway or stop at a service area. They are clearly signed at regular intervals and have bright orange road surfaces to help identify them.
Each area is 100m long. They are also equipped with emergency telephones linking directly to National Highways control rooms.
National Highways project sponsor Felicity Clayton said: “Safety is our highest priority and we have listened to drivers’ concerns about having more places to stop in an emergency on motorways which don’t have a permanent hard shoulder.
“This is part of the Government’s £900m investment in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways, which includes adding an additional 150 emergency areas across the network and giving motorists clear advice when using smart motorways to boost public confidence.”
For safety reasons, the left-hand lane will be closed throughout construction. Lanes two, three and four will remain open with a 50mph speed limit in place.
We have listened to drivers’ concerns about having more places to stop in an emergency