Highways Agency

Vision: Overhead view of the Motorway.

Voice-Over: Welcome to the Virtual Fly Through for the M1 & M62 motorway improvements in Yorkshire. This short video gives an example of how the motorways may look in the future. The various features of the improvements will be described as we travel along the road. If you have further questions following this Fly Through our representatives will be pleased to assist. Our journey begins on a standard section of motorway with three lanes and a hard shoulder.

Vision: Animation which gives the perspective of flying along the motorway just above the vehicles.

Voice-Over: As we pass the slip road the first improvement you will notice is that the motorway is four lanes wide – the improvements are about providing this extra lane to ease congestion and help the traffic to flow smoothly.

Vision: Motorway changes from three to four lanes.

Voice-Over: You will also notice new gantries can be seen located at regular intervals along the route. These modern, lightweight gantries can span the entire motorway - removing the hazard caused by gantry supports in the central reservation. In this central reservation the standard steel barrier has been replaced by a concrete barrier. On the outside of the highway, street lighting will be in place on some sections of the scheme.

Voice-Over: The new gantries will display more information than at present. Indicators above each lane provide drivers with information such as speed limits and lane closures during incidents. A large sign on the left side of the gantry will display helpful messages such as route planning information. CCTV cameras, situated on a pole on the far left of the gantries, will provide continual pictures of the local situation to the Highways Agency Regional Control Centre. The Controllers will then be able to set the appropriate displays on the signs.

Voice-Over: In order to minimise land take on some sections of the road the traditional hard shoulder has been replaced with a narrower Emergency Access Lane. This is the white area on the left side of the road. This will provide emergency vehicles with access along the length of the motorway. If other vehicles are forced to stop whilst on the motorway regular Emergency Refuge Areas are provided.

Vision: Overhead view of Emergency Refuge area.

Voice-Over: These are small lay-bys with emergency phones. They will provide safe areas from which assistance can be obtained. Here, a vehicle can be seen stopped safely in an Emergency Refuge Area.

Vision: Return to travelling along the motorway.

Voice-Over: We are now approaching an incident in the outside lane. CCTV cameras have already sent live video images of the situation to the Control Centre. Controllers have reacted by closing the two outside lanes with a red cross and set a mandatory speed limit of 50mph in the remaining two lanes.

Vision: Traffic stops using the two outside lanes.

Voice-Over: The traffic moves to the lanes that are still operational, thus protecting those vehicles involved in the incident, and assisting in the smooth flow of other vehicles.

Voice-Over: Emergency vehicles travelling up the Emergency Access Lane would then cross the live traffic to access the incident. Once the incident has been resolved, the controllers will reopen the lane and remove the speed restrictions.

Voice-Over: We have now come to the end of our journey. Through improved management of traffic on the motorway, this trip has been less congested whilst retaining the safe operation of the motorway. Thank you for watching.