Aside from the January 2009 announcement and the project appearing on the Highways Agency website, a "Public Consultation Event" took place at the Novotel Manchester West on 19th (half day) 20th and 21st March (half day) 2009.
This was announced by a Press Release on 16th March 2009 CLICK HERE TO READ
There was a limited leaflet drop to those homes close to M60 junctions 15, 14, 13 and 12.
A summation of the information available follows - there was no consultation brochure as is normal with DfT or HA consultations. PLEASE Email us at m60@wbttg.com if you think you have extra information or this is wrong in detail.
Notes of M60 Motorway junctions 15 to 12 widening scheme
as presented at Public Exhibition at Novotel on Friday 20th March 2009
In a Press Notice ( http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=171769 ) the Highways Agency announced on 16th March 2009 that they were to hold an exhibition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday 19th to 21st March 2009.
OUTLINE
The proposed scheme is to widening the anticlockwise carriageway from junction 15 to junction 12 of the M60 motorway, the Manchester Orbital. This section is one of the busiest sections of motorway in the country carrying 90,000 vehicles per day with one fifth of these being heavy lorries.
The decision to proceed with a widening scheme was announced in the Commons on 15th January 2009 in a raft of transport announcements which included the third runway for Heathrow.
A map of the area is attached as appendix one.
BACKGROUND
The area is to the west of the Greater Manchester conurbation and is largely a gentle downhill stretch about three miles long. The stretch goes from junction fifteen of the M60, where the M61 peels off towards Bolton and Preston, to junction twelve. Here, the M60 splits three ways to become the M602 to Eccles, Salford and city centre Manchester, the M62 to Liverpool and continues as the M60 heading towards the Barton Bridge, Airport and South Manchester.
The M60 between Junctions 15 and 12 lies in the city of Salford. The conurbation generates significant numbers of car-borne trips on the M60 for various journey purposes. This part of the M60 also serves as part of the M62 the strategic motorway between Liverpool and Hull. Constraints are placed on the road network by the relative lack of crossing points of the Manchester Ship Canal, the River Irwell and the Bridgewater Canal. This means that a good deal of traffic heading for destinations south of Manchester from Bolton and the surrounding areas to the north west are directed towards the M60 as a means of accessing the primary route network. (Adapted from M60Jetts Baseline Transport Conditions Report November 2001)
Appendix two illustrates the existing layout of the M60 between Junctions 15 and 12 (and whether or not they are considered “narrow” lanes), the layout of the junctions (on and off-slip roads), the distances between junctions, and the location of those gradients in excess of 2%. When it was originally constructed, the motorway mainly had 3 traffic lanes in both directions.
However, in recent years, the widening of the carriageway from 3 to 4 lanes on the following sections:
· Junction 13 to Junction 18 clockwise; and
· Junction 18 to Junction 15 anti-clockwise.
The motorway has also been upgraded from 3 to 4 narrow lanes in both directions between Junctions 12 and 13. Of the junctions between 15 and 12, there are a number of different forms:
· Junction 12 is a multi-level, free-flowing interchange with the M62 and M602.
· Junction 13 is a grade separated dumbbell roundabout.
· Junctions 14 and 15 are complex, free flowing interchanges with the M61, A666 and A580.
The spacing of the junctions on the M60 between junctions twelve and eighteen also differs greatly as can be seen in the tables presented as appendix three.
In summary, “the assessment of the current layout of the M60 against Departmental Standards suggests that the motorway does not conform to the “ideal” layout suggested by the guidance".
“For a motorway that is the age of the M60, such an outcome could have been predicted, particularly when comparing against standards that have evolved over time, and are essentially intended for the design of new motorways and trunk roads. When considering the review from the point of view of “demand”, the assessment does suggest that there are certain sections and merge/diverge layouts that are below the required standard, and these may be locations where operational problems exist during times of peak traffic demand.
“However, from the point of view of “supply”, traffic flow reductions on the M60 of some 34% in the critical weaving section, and of 23% at critical merges/diverges would ensure that the required standard is met by the existing infrastructure.”
(M60 Jetts Baseline Transport Conditions Report November 2001 (Document 10.1) section 5.5 page 32)
Appendix three shows tables 5.1 to 5.4 extracted from the M60Jetts Report (M60 Jetts Baseline Transport Conditions Report November 2001 (Document 10.1) section 5 page 33) to show the comparison against the Department for Transport’s Standard TD22/92
THE SCHEME
The scheme is constrained by three major factors:
· Cost to be retained between £26million and £43million
· Wholly within the land envelope currently defined with no rebuilding of the present bridge structures.
· To completed by December 2011
The scheme is expected to deliver:
· An extra fourth lane by using the present hard shoulder as a running lane between junctions 15 and 13 and where land ownership or engineering permitted a full hard shoulder or narrow hard shoulder, or in the case of the bridge structures there may be no hard shoulder. This replicates what has been done on the clockwise side (The width of the motorway can be clearly seen on google maps as being the same width.)
· The addition of an extra running lane, between junctions 13 and 12 making five in total. Approaching junction 12 the two inside lanes would become the M62 continuation and the inner lane would split to become the M602 inside lane. The outer three lanes would continue through junction twelve with the inner lane lost to the A57 junction. The two remaining lanes would continue through to junction eleven.
The scheme diagram (Hand drawn sketch in the absence of an exhibition graphic), as drawn by an officer present, to explain this situation is attached as appendix four.
The officers present also highlighted a number of constraints that were obstacles (or other wise) to the scheme:
· That active traffic management, as used on the M42 for “rush hour” hard shoulder running, with gantries showing varying speed limits would not be put in place between junctions 15 and 13. However active traffic management by dictating speeds of each lane may be unavoidable between junctions 13 and 12.
· There was great difficulty in being able to put five lanes into the existing space available between junctions 13 and 12, hence the scheme is looking at taking out the lighting in the central reservation, widening the clockwise carriageway, and then moving the central reservation over so that enough space is created to widen to five lanes. The lighting may not be replaced, as there would not be space at the edge of the motorway its closer proximity to houses at Farm Lane and Greenacre Lane.
· The issue of Ramp Metering (where traffic lights control entry to the slip road on to the motorway) at junction 13 towards Salford and the Trafford Centre has not been ruled out.
· In the existing layout going on at junction 13 southbound a motorist has to make two lane changes to get into the correct lane to go to the Trafford Centre, for example. This movement will still be required in the option being considered.
· No commentary was available to suggest a reduction in noise levels or an improvement in air quality.
· The exhibition was devoid of any background material or predictions materials or any material to suggest that a cost benefit analysis had been carried out.
The Highways Agency current description of the project is at the following page on their website:
http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/23003.aspx