The hard should is being converted to full-time running, turning a dual three-lane motorway into dual four-lane.
Infrastructure will also be installed for variable message boards to display speed limit reductions at busy times.
The first 15-mile stretch of smart motorway on the M62 near Leeds has led to commuters saving an average of 30 minutes each week, Highways England says, despite an increase in the number of vehicles using the route. At two journeys a day, five days a week, that equates to three minutes saved per journey. That scheme cost £136m in 2015/16.
The Morgan Sindall and BAM Nuttall joint venture is converting 10 miles of the M62 between Warrington (J10) and Manchester (J12). The design phase, supported by WSP and Aecom, started in December 2017. The works are planned to be completed by spring 2020.
BMJV also has a £218m contract to convert 15 miles of the M27 in Hampshire, between junctions 4 and 11 to permanent dual four-lane all lane running.
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