WSP will provide engineering and design services including highways; Geotech; structures and environment. It will also supply specialist expertise from its Intelligent Transport Services team to upgrade the nine-mile stretch of motorway which forms part of a key strategic route carrying a high volume of traffic between Liverpool and Manchester. WSP will be supported by AECOM, 4way and Ramboll.
The project will include the design and delivery of new infrastructure to transform this section of road into an All Lane Running Smart Motorway - permanently converting the hard shoulder into a running lane to add much needed additional capacity. New traffic technology will be implemented to help enhance safety, reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic including:
- Variable speed limits
- Queue detection and automatic signalling system
- CCTV and monitoring equipment
- Driver information including lane availability provided through a mixture of gantries and cantilever signals
- Refuge areas where drivers can stop in an emergency
bmJV was awarded the contract in December 2017 through the Highways England Collaborative Delivery Framework. WSP’s subsequent appointment by bmJV is one of the first smart motorway schemes to be awarded under Highways England’s new ‘Design and Build’ procurement model.
WSP’s Smart Roads Programme Director, Phil Barton, commented: “The scheme will help facilitate economic growth within the region by providing much needed capacity on this busy stretch of motorway, reducing the cost of delays to both commuters and business traffic. We are delighted to have been selected as bmJV’s design partner on one of the first design and build smart motorway schemes. This represents another significant appointment for WSP as we continue to both support Highways England’s Smart Motorways Programme and strengthen our position within the Design and Build market place.”
This is the latest smart motorways appointment for WSP, which is currently working on a number of schemes including the M4 (J3 – 12); M6 (J21a – 26); M27 (J4-11), M62 (J20 – 25) and A1M (J6-8). The team also designed a 32-mile stretch of the M1 between junction 28 near Mansfield and junction 35a north of Sheffield and Rotherham, working alongside Costain, Highways England’s delivery partner. The £330m project opened in 2017 and is the longest smart motorway section implemented to date.
ENDS
For further information please contact Deborah Hastie at Anita Morris Associates on [email protected] 01943 603311/ 07799 575558
Notes to editors
WSP is one of the world's leading engineering professional services consulting firms. We are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower. We are technical experts and strategic advisors including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. We design lasting solutions in the Property & Buildings, Transportation & Infrastructure, Environment, Industry, Resources (including Mining and Oil & Gas) and Power & Energy sectors as well as project delivery and strategic consulting services.
With 7,800 talented people in the UK and more than 42,000 globally, we engineer projects that will help societies grow for lifetimes to come. WSP has been involved in many high-profile UK projects including the Shard, Crossrail, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Manchester Metrolink, M1 Smart Motorway, the re-development of London Bridge Station, and the London Olympic & Paralympic Route Network.
www.wsp.com/uk