Variable speed limits and hard shoulder running at busy times are heading for a section of the M53 near Ellesmere Port following the Chancellor’s autumn statement.
The so-called smart motorway, between junction five (A41 at Hooton) and junction 11 (Stoak interchange), was announced as part of £800m road improvement schemes in the north west of England.
Smart motorways increase traffic capacity by employing variable speed limits and hard shoulder running at busy times. Benefits include smoother traffic flows, more reliable journey times, fewer road traffic collisions, and reduced noise and harmful vehicle emissions.
The government says funding is being provided “to upgrade the M53 to a smart motorway which will help to ease journeys into Birkenhead and support new housing and office space at the Wirral Waters development”.
Also included in the autumn statement is a new junction 11a on the M56 at Runcorn to provide a link to the under-construction Mersey Gateway Bridge.
The north west will benefit from nine new road schemes in a £15 billion plan to triple levels of spending across England by the end of the decade to increase the capacity and condition of the network.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve the network and unlock Britain’s economic potential.
“Roads are key to our nation’s prosperity. For too long they have suffered from under-investment. This government has a long term plan to secure the country’s future and this £15 billion roads programme is demonstration of that. It will directly benefit hardworking families across the north west.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, said: “I promised when I was in the north west that we would address this area’s economic needs for the future. Our long term-economic plan means today we can invest an £800 million into the north west’s infrastructure to improve, repair and expand our roads. This is all about investing in the northern powerhouse we are seeking to build.”
