M62 managed motorway work complete

Road users in West Yorkshire are now benefiting from safer, more reliable and less congested journeys, the Highways Agency said.

Temporary 50mph speed restrictions on the remaining two sections between junctions 28 and 30 were lifted last week, marking an end to the work which started in October 2011.

Work to upgrade 15.5 miles of the M62 between junctions 25 at Brighouse and junction 30 at Rothwell was due to be completed by the end of October 2013.

The final cost of the scheme is expected to be £133m, compared to the £150m target cost,

Roads minister Stephen Hammond said: “I am delighted that road users in West Yorkshire and beyond are able to benefit from the improvements earlier than planned, and at a lower cost to the taxpayer than originally forecast.

“This is the first motorway of its kind in the North of England, and reducing congestion on this key route will deliver significant economic benefits.”

The improvements to the M62 have seen the use of a range of smart technology to reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic. More than 2,500 people have worked on the scheme – installing 36 new gantries, connecting 378 electronic signs and 322 hard shoulder monitoring cameras, laying 50 miles of fibre optic cabling and constructing 23 emergency refuge areas.