News on M4 J3-12 smart motorway

This is the latest response to your comments on the Commonplace site. Please remember, if you have a specific question or concern and would like an individual reply, please email us at:

M4J3to12SmartMotorways@highwaysengland.co.uk

or call the Highways England Customer Contact Centre at 0300 123 5000.

Heavy vehicles using Marsh Lane

We’re sorry to hear about the concerns raised by residents of Marsh Lane. We have contacted the supplier/subcontractor and have requested their drivers are reminded of the courtesy we expect to be given to our neighbours, and the importance of their speeds en route to site. It will be re-iterated that they should travel at a more sedate pace. We have been advised that our vehicles do not park up along Marsh Lane near the A4, however again we have spoken to the supplier and requested this remains the case to ensure we are not blocking any traffic in this area.

Air quality, dust, noise, ecology and wildlife

Dust: we have a duty of care to mitigate dust. We do this by ensuring the materials we are using in the embankments have a moisture content of around 9% for compaction and as the materials dry we always try to dampen down as best we can in both warm and colder weather.

Ecology, wildlife and vegetation clearance: all vegetation removed is in accordance with the works detailed in the Development Consent Order for the M4 smart motorway. Before the project commenced an environmental assessment was carried out which included ecology surveys for protected and invasive species. Pre-site checks are carried out by the ecology team directly before vegetation clearance is started.

Noise: as with any activity (day or night) we try our upmost to reduce disruption as far as is practicable. We will, where possible, ensure mitigation measures are in place so disturbance to our neighbours is kept to a minimum. Please be aware, in the area of Winnersh, Sindlesham, Wokingham and Lower Early, for example, there are a number of projects taking place. Some of these fall under the responsibility of Wokingham Borough Council and more information about their projects can be found at: http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/roadworks-and-outdoor-maintenance/major-new-roads/north-wokingham-distributor-road/

Air quality: this is a complex issue that was subject to extensive examination during the DCO process. You can find the details of this issue here at the Planning Inspectorate site , but please get in touch if you have a specific question about your area.

The countdown markers leading to Junction 10 have disappeared

There are three advance signs in position for the exit at junction 10 eastbound, they are black on yellow signs which is the standard for temporary signage within roadwork areas. In addition there are white on blue countdown markers between these signs, these are in place on the verge.

Not enough notice on the motorway signs for closures/diversions

When we have an overnight closure we are required to place advanced signs at slip roads and in the verge in the direction of the closure i.e. between junctions 8/9 and 10. We are also required to include advance diversion signage; the diversion signs would then direct traffic on to the approved primary diversion route.

A great deal of planning goes into our roadworks and closures, and to help you plan your journeys and to keep up to date with road closures in the future, we've included some links below:

You can also sign up to news alerts from this site, and every Friday you will receive a list of planned closures for the following week.

Length of roadworks

Some have asked again why the roadworks are designed in the current format. Safety is the highest priority when planning works. Stopping sight distances, thinking time, reaction time and impact forces all change significantly between 70mph and 50mph. The locations and extent of all speed restrictions are carefully considered during the design and planning of the scheme and implemented for a specific reason.

The length of the roadworks is important for delivering the scheme efficiently and reopening the motorway as soon as possible. Putting in and removing roadworks takes significant time and requires closures of the motorway so moving the layout on a regular basis would be very disruptive. We have passed on comments about the temporary white lines to the traffic management team.

The signage is designed and set out in line with national guidelines, but also to ensure that the road is not ‘cluttered’ with signs that might confuse drivers or obscure other signs. We are responding to concerns about signage and review the approach regularly.

Also, a reminder about what to do if you break down in the roadworks. We offer free recovery to a place of safety during roadworks and a handy guide to what to do can be found here, or in your highway code:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/highways-england/about-our-services#free-recovery .

M4 interface with the M25

Several of you have asked again about the plans for junction 4b. The eastbound approach to the M25 currently consists of 4 lanes, just one of which leads to the exit to the M25 and is prone to congestion. The completed smart motorway will become a 5-lane road on the eastbound approach to the M25 at junction 4b. Lane 1 will lead to the M25 northbound, lane 2 will lead to the M25 southbound, while lanes 3, 4 and 5 will continue towards London. See the image below for the new layout.

Use of the A4 as a diversion route

Some of the activities for the smart motorway upgrade require us to close the M4 between junction 11 and junction 12. Due to traffic volumes we are not able to close carriageways during the day so certain activities have to take place at night. When we do close the M4 at night between junctions 11 and junction 12 we use the strategic diversion route via the A4 and A33 which has been in place since the M4 was built and has been authorised for use by the Local Authority. Only vehicles legally allowed to use those A roads (usually vehicles up to and including 44 tonnes) are diverted onto the network. Generally any vehicles over this size would be classified as an abnormal load and are required to give notice of their movements to the relevant authorities. These would then be restricted from moving on the nights the motorway was planned to be closed.

In order to close the carriageway there are a number specific restrictions we have to comply with. One of these restrictions relates to traffic volumes, only when the traffic flow for the carriageway to be closed drops below a count which is suitable for the capacity to run in single lane will the motorway be closed, this is usually between the hours of 21:30 and 06:00. We would also only ever close one carriageway at a time unless there were special requirements like a bridge demolition which affected both carriageways simultaneously. This to date has not taken place although it will be required at some point. For reference, we are working round the clock whilst keeping three lanes of traffic open in each direction during day time running. We are doing our upmost to keep our closures to a minimum which will lessen the impact on the A4.