Contractor awarded £67m M56 Smart motorway

Galliford Try has been awarded a £67m contract by Highways England to design and construct the M56 Smart motorway scheme between junctions 6 and 8 to the west of Manchester Airport.

Works on the M56 Smart motorway scheme include upgrading pavements, barriers and drainage as well as installation of gantries, emergency refuge areas and technical equipment.

Start on site is set for next spring with completion in approximately 12 months.

The £67m investment on the M56 is part of a £1.5bn overhaul of the north west’s roads including creating nearly 80 miles of smart motorway.

Smart motorways make use of the hard shoulder to create an extra lane to ease congestion and introduce variable speed limits to help keep the traffic flowing.

Duncan Elliott, Managing Director of Galliford Try Highways, said:

“We’re delighted for this opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with and commitment to Highways England as a leading and critically important client. Highways is the key growth sector for Galliford Try Infrastructure.”

Galliford Try has recently completed a Smart motorways scheme on the M1 in Northamptonshire and is currently progressing a similar scheme on the same motorway in the East Midlands. Earlier this month Galliford Try secured a place on Highways England’s £3.3bn pavements framework for minor works in the north-east.

Highways England aim to ensure major lane or carriageway closures take place overnight when traffic levels are much lower and expects all the schemes to be completed within two and three years.

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