M6 improvements may ease Stone congestion

We all know that whenever there’s a problem on the M6 near Stafford or Stoke, the A34 through Stone gets pretty snarled up as thousands of drivers use it as a diversion.

So a new ‘smart’ motorway between junctions 13 and 15 as part of a £1.8 billion programme of investment for the West Midlands could be welcome news.

The investment is part of the Government’s ‘Road Investment Strategy’ and was announced earlier this week by Highways England, which is responsible for motorways and major trunk roads.

As well as opening up the hard shoulder for driving when needed, ‘smart motorways’ use technology – mainly through new electronic signs on gantries – are designed to improve safety by effectively managing congestion. The move to smart motorways began in the Midlands on the M42 in 2006, and the M6 between Junctions 5 and 8 in Birmingham went smart in 2014.

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As well as the planned ‘smart’ motorway between junctions 13 and 15, other highlights for Staffordshire include:

• Development of a new link road connecting M54, M6 and the M6 Toll
• Plan to replace roundabouts at A50 Uttoxeter – a project being delivered by Staffordshire County Council
• Improvement for the A38 Derby junctions
• Widening of the A500 at Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent
• New, bigger M6 Junction 10

Staffordshire County Council leader Philip Atkins has welcomed the news. He said: “These new schemes are a huge boost for Staffordshire as together they will improve connections to the county, ease congestion, cut journey times and help make out busiest roads even safer. Good links to the county are good for residents, good for business and really underpin a growing economy, so it is great news to  see Staffordshire’s major routes benefit from this investment.”

Across the West Midlands, Highways England will also spend around £600 million on the maintenance of its motorways and trunk roads.

There’s more information about smart motorways on the RAC website