More emergency areas on M25 and M3 to be installed
Drivers will soon get new emergency areas on the M25 and the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire - to improve safety.
More than 50 are set to be installed on the M25 and surrounding motorways in the South East.
Twenty-four new emergency areas are planned for two sections of the M25 – between junctions 23 and 27 in Hertfordshire and Essex and between junctions 5 and 7 in Surry and Kent.
Fifty-two emergency areas are to be built in this phase of the programme on the M25 and neighbouring motorways:
• Fifteen on the M25 between junctions 23 and 27 in Hertfordshire and Essex
• Ten on the M3 between junctions 2 and 4A in Surrey and Hampshire
• Nine on the M25 between junctions 5 and 7 in Surrey and Kent
• Twelve on the M4 between junctions 10 and 12 in Berkshire
• Four on the M20 between junctions 3 and 5 in Kent
• Two on the M27 between junctions 4 and 11 in Hampshire
Each area is 100 metres long with bright orange road surfaces and emergency telephones linked 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 £900 million 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 the upgrade to be carried out safely, the left-hand lane will be closed throughout construction. Lanes two, three and four will remain open with a 50mph speed limit in place.
All existing emergency areas on the M25, M20, M3, M27 and M4 will remain open wherever possible throughout construction wherever possible and a free recovery service will be available through the roadworks.