Smart motorway safety work nearing completion

Speed restrictions are to be lifted on a stretch of M1 smart motorway in South Yorkshire after safety retrofitting work.

In June 2023, National Highways said it would be building 12 additional emergency refuge areas on parts of the motorway after safety concerns were raised.

A "large amount" of cones and signs were removed from the M1 on Tuesday between junctions 34 and 35A as part of the ongoing work, with the previous 50mph speed limit lifted.

The 10-mile stretch currently under construction runs from junction 32 for Thurcroft to junction 35a for Stocksbridge and is expected to fully reopen by December.

Smart motorway technology identifies stopped vehicles and closes lanes using overhead signs, but drivers said the shortage of safe places to stop in an emergency had resulted in serious accidents and deaths.

Refuge bays provide areas for drivers to stop if they encounter vehicle problems, with the project boosting the original total of eight emergency areas across the stretch.

Emergency areas would be no more than a mile apart after the project's completion, National Highways said.

Previously, they were spaced at a distance of up to one and a half miles.

Further traffic management items are being removed between junctions 32 and 33 near Sheffield overnight on Thursday and Friday.

Radar devices and cameras were still being tested between junctions 33 and 34, meaning traffic management would remain, National Highways said.

The overall work is expected to be finished by 30 November.

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