M1 roadworks (Leeds and Chesterfield)

[tinfoilhat 11]

I thought the M1 roadworks south of Sheffield were nearer 30 miles?

 

I thought they started not long after Donnington services and continued all the way to the M1/M18 junction at Sheffield??

 

---------- Post added 24-09-2015 at 22:25 ----------

 

 

Like the M62 at rush hour between Leeds and Bradford.

They open up the hard shoulder and put in a 50 mph speed limit in some places.

 

You end up with 3 lanes doing 30mph and no-one in the hard shoulder lane where you can happily do 50 till a junction comes along.

 

It will start out like that for sure - it did further down the M1. People got used to it and it's well used now.

[Cyclone 10]

What I don't understand is why when I drove along there one evening this summer there was only one lane open and they were demolishing the concrete central reservation that they had built only a few years ago. They've since rebuilt it.

 

What a waste.

 

It had failed some sort of inspection I think, the concrete mix hadn't been correct. Of course testing it before installation would have saved time and money.

 

---------- Post added 25-09-2015 at 08:37 ----------

 

What exactly is a "Smart" motorway?

 

It's one where they can lower the speed limit at a whim. (And remove the hard shoulder to create an extra lane, making it impossible for the emergency services to get through).

[Bottletop 10]

I'd rather have a stupid motorway with 3 lanes at normal speed limits for the past 3 years than a smart motorway that can't be used above 50mph because they never end up finishing it!

[corkyballs 10]

Well they've had my fine money out of it for doing 58 miles an hour at six in the morning without another car in sight.

 

They're saving up all the fines until they can afford to do a bit more work. I'd be interested to know what the value of all the fines taken over the lkife of the roadworks amount to.

[vincentb 10]

What exactly is a "Smart" motorway?

 

It's where they can deal with heavy traffic flow at different times by adding the hard shoulder as an extra lane, or by imposing temporary lower speed limits. The work is to fit extra cameras and sensors, and the gantries where they can have the signs to indicate which lanes to use and what the speed limits are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_motorway

[top4718 838]

It's where they can deal with heavy traffic flow at different times by adding the hard shoulder as an extra lane, or by imposing temporary lower speed limits. The work is to fit extra cameras and sensors, and the gantries where they can have the signs to indicate which lanes to use and what the speed limits are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_motorway

 

So a money earner in effect?

[Cyclone 10]

So a money earner in effect?

 

It increases capacity, and the reduced speed causes smoother flow and so keeps the traffic moving better.

[top4718 838]

It increases capacity, and the reduced speed causes smoother flow and so keeps the traffic moving better.

 

.....and the people who drift over 50 pay up.

[Cyclone 10]

Significantly over, I set my cruise control to 55 and it's fine.

[truman 10]

What I don't understand is why when I drove along there one evening this summer there was only one lane open and they were demolishing the concrete central reservation that they had built only a few years ago. They've since rebuilt it.

 

What a waste.

 

It was only built this past few months..not a few years ago...

 

---------- Post added 25-09-2015 at 09:59 ----------

 

So the Government makes a statement one day and lo and behold a section of the motorway is having the roadworks removed a day later. Doesn't this suggest they could have done this weeks ago, but only a kick up the backside has made them open this stretch fully.

 

Roadworks have been going on between junction 29 and 26 almost constantly for at least 6 years now, on one stretch or another, maybe a couple of months were free, I cant remember.

 

There aren't any between 28 and 26...and haven't been for ages...

[tzijlstra 11]

It hasn't been that long I assure you. It's not even been three years. And it's not just doing a bit of resurfacing either. It's an upgrade to smart motorways which has involved more than you'd think. That said, it really should have been done by now.

 

You did have road works widening the m1 from 28 to 25 but that finished a few years ago.

 

The current work has been three years and there has never been a period where there were no roadworks at one point or another. They just grew exponentially with time it seems.

 

I don't care whether it was a bit of resurfacing or an upgrade to a Smart motorway, it has taken far longer than it should have. They have redone the central barrier twice in places.

 

The biggest issue is this: One broken down car and you have a traffic jam for miles.

 

The second issue is this: Brits don't know how to merge lanes so all junctions would be preceded by two or three miles of stop start traffic.

 

The third issue is this: The roadworks on the M1 leave you looking for workers most of the time, apart from a single digger on the side or a group of vans around a management port-a-kabin. If you do that stretch every day, like I did, it gets on your nerves.

[top4718 838]

The current work has been three years and there has never been a period where there were no roadworks at one point or another. They just grew exponentially with time it seems.

 

I don't care whether it was a bit of resurfacing or an upgrade to a Smart motorway, it has taken far longer than it should have. They have redone the central barrier twice in places.

 

The biggest issue is this: One broken down car and you have a traffic jam for miles.

 

The second issue is this: Brits don't know how to merge lanes so all junctions would be preceded by two or three miles of stop start traffic.

 

The third issue is this: The roadworks on the M1 leave you looking for workers most of the time, apart from a single digger on the side or a group of vans around a management port-a-kabin. If you do that stretch every day, like I did, it gets on your nerves.

 

You've got it in a nutshell there mate, I regularly travel to Wakefield/Leeds and the stretch of roadworks around J39-J41 have been there for at least 3yrs with very little activity at any time and another 18mnths still to go, surely these jobs should have sufficient manpower and round the clock working to speed up the process.