Smart Motorways.
The M6 Junctions 16-19 Smart Motorway All Lanes Running (ALR) Project covers an 18 mile stretch of motorway used by 132,000+ vehicles per day – 92 vehicles per minute. The route includes 4 motorway junctions, 37 overbridges, 7 underbridges and aims to substantially increase motorway capacity. This section of the 3 lane M6 motorway can be as busy as the 4/5 lane sections of the M25 motorway.
Principle contractor Carillion Kier JV has incorporated into the project its primary “work wellbeing strategy” which every employee is required to adhere to: “Be Smart. Be Safe. Work Safe and Go Home Safe”; simple words but which mean a lot when staff are working in the central reserve of a busy motorway with vehicles passing at 50mph on either side of the work site – just metres away.
Safe work access and egress points from the outside lanes in both motorway directions into the central work area is a safety concern which has been approached above and beyond normal work practice by the CKJV SMP delivery team, adding extra site safety to the already proven Asset VRS Varioguard and Zoneguard steel temporary barriers used extensively on this M6 – 18 mile section.
The narrow 700mm foot of the barrier enables a wider working area for construction staff, plant and vehicles operating behind the steel barrier. This additional work area width is of great value for improved road safety and traffic movement when bringing materials into and out of the site. Fully tested to BS EN1317 performance levels N1, N2 and H2 operators are reassured of proven safety performance of these traffic management barriers.
Likewise, Asset Vecu-Stop crash cushions used on the approach ends of the temporary site barriers are all fully tested to EN1317 performance class 110km/h and offer high visibility to barriered sectors.
