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The 50mph limit on a stretch of the M6 between Wigan and Warrington has now been lifted.
The reduced limit has been in place throughout long-running works to upgrade it to a “smart motorway” which included adding an extra lane.
While the works had finished in October, the 50mph limit had remained in place between junctions 21a and 26 while safety testing was carried out by National Highways. That has now been removed and the limit is now back to 70mph.
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According to National Highways, the additional capacity “will help improve journey times and reliability for the tens of thousands of drivers who use the route daily”.
Alongside the additional lane on each carriageway, the project has put extra technology and safety enhancements in place, including stopped vehicle detection (SVD). The SVD system uses radar technology to alert control centre operators who can then close lanes with a Red X signal, display speed limits, and deploy traffic officers.
In addition, 22 new emergency areas have been installed throughout the scheme with 11 located on each carriageway. On average someone travelling at 70mph will reach a place to stop in an emergency every 31 seconds.
A “low-noise road surface” has been installed on all lanes between junction 21a and 25 and on lanes one and four in both directions from junction 25 to 26, while the central reservation barrier has also been upgraded from steel to concrete and should therefore need fewer closures for maintenance in future.
A spokesperson said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to local communities and road users for their patience throughout our work.”
They added: “As part of the final stage of the project, we’ll be undertaking a review of the work carried out. This is common to all major road projects and may identify some minor work that is required.
“We’ll reduce disruption by carrying out as much of this work as possible under overnight lane closures. Occasionally, some full night-time carriageway closures might be required. We’ll keep you posted of any road closures via our dedicated scheme webpage.”
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