Wigan's Smart motorway: drivers can finally do 70 again

As of this morning (Thursday December 19), motorists travelling between junctions 26 at Orrell and junction 21a at Croft can finally drive at 70mph again since early 2021.

It has been a multi-million-pound project which took far longer than originally scheduled, not just because of the pandemic but also because Smart motorways – involving remote speed controls and the using of hard shoulders as extra lanes – were abandoned by the Government over safety concerns before work had really got under way.

Because the Wigan scheme was already scheduled, National Highways was authorised to press ahead but there was a proviso that a significant number of extra emergency stopping areas (lay-bys) were installed to mitigate the risk of accidents, thus prolonging the work further. There are now 22 along the section, rather than the original 10.

The roadwork was completed some weeks ago but the 50mph limit was retained until the new camera, speed control and stopped vehicle detection system could be calibrated. National Highways had said it would be the spring before everything was finished so this news comes as something of a pre-Christmas bonus to beleaguered motorway users.

National Highways launched a ‘Driving on motorways’ hub in 2022 – providing information about the main features of smart motorways, and advice and guidance on safer driving and what to do in an emergency:  https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/driving-on-motorways/