Campaigners have challenged the Government’s decision to continue with work to convert a section of the M6 to all lane running (ALR), despite the pause on new schemes.
Transport Action Network (TAN) said it welcomes the pause on three smart motorway schemes that have yet to start construction, as well as the M3 Junction 9-14 scheme, which was paused in November 2021 in anticipation of the announcement.
However TAN said the 10-mile M6 Junction 21a - 26 scheme should also have been paused as it is due to run until March 2023 and only started work in March 2021, 10 months ago. TAN argued it is therefore less than 50% complete.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it would complete schemes already in construction, ‘given they are all over 50% complete’.
TAN said that National Highways’ own data shows that the M6 scheme will increase carbon emissions by over four million extra tonnes due to increasing traffic, ‘making it the most carbon-emitting scheme in the RIS2 roads programme’.
Rebecca Lush, a director at TAN, said: ‘Pausing some of the smart motorway schemes not only saves lives now, but will also prevent 3.8 million tonnes of additional carbon emissions from increased road capacity and traffic growth.
‘However, the Government must also pause the M6 Junction 21a-26 smart motorway scheme which has only just started work. Halting this, the largest emitting scheme in its RIS2 roads programme, together with the other four smart motorways, would save a massive eight million tonnes of carbon.’
A DfT spokesperson said: ‘Work on the M6 J21a-26 scheme is more than halfway through and leaving the upgrade unfinished would see further disruption for road users.’
The DfT added that as well as the scheme being ‘nearly a year into construction', National Highways has ‘completed extensive enabling works’.
However, the webpage for the scheme suggests that these works were quite limited. In January last year National Highways said it had ‘started some work’ between junctions 24 and 26, ‘in advance of our main upgrade’.
This comprised vegetation clearance, treating old mine works, strengthening manholes on the hard shoulder and preparing the foundations for sign and gantry bases.
In March, National Highways declared that ‘main construction work’ had started, with the work done in phases, starting with the section from Junction 24 to Junction 26. This involved installation of traffic management measures, which was carried out in April.
Work on this stretch of the motorway since has included the removal of steel central barrier and its replacement with a concrete barrier. The Government has said that this will be done on ALR schemes that are currently paused.
The DfT added that the scheme will have stopped vehicle detection technology in place when it opens as well as additional emergency refuge areas, ‘where possible’.
These measures are additional to the original plans for the scheme and will add to the work needed to deliver it.
Last year, the AA criticised National Highways’ original plans for the scheme, pointing out that one carriageway would have just four emergency areas over the 10-mile stretch.
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