M65 major roadworks start this week

Lights on the central reservation of the M65 are to be permanently removed as major work begins this week.
M65 roadworks will start soonM65 roadworks will start soon
M65 roadworks will start soon

Lancashire County Council outlined the details of the essential £6.6m. scheme which will see the steel crash barriers and central reservation on the M65 replaced between Junction 10 at Burnley and Junction 14 at Colne.

Lancashire County Council confirmed that the street lights in the central reservation will be permanently removed and are being switched off before the work begins on Friday.

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The lights on the slip roads and junctions will continue to be used as usual.

County bosses also revealed that a 50mph speed limit will be in place between Junctions 10 and 14 while the work is carried out and will be enforced by average speed cameras.

The county council is installing a new concrete barrier system, which it says will improve safety by reducing the risk of accidents where vehicles crash through into oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the motorway.

It is expected that the system will also be easier to maintain than the existing steel barriers.

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County Coun. John Fillis, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “This work is absolutely essential. Accidents where vehicles cross to the opposite carriageway can be catastrophic and we need to do all we can to prevent them. This concrete crash barrier meets the latest standards and will help to improve safety.

“The steel barrier that’s currently in place is coming to the end of its useful life and the law sets out that we must replace it with this new concrete barrier.

“The road works and 50mph limit may add to journey times and we are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause.

“However, we’ll be maintaining two running lanes of traffic by allowing traffic to use the hard shoulder, and will do all we can to keep disruption to a minimum.”

The estimated total cost of the work is £6.6m, funded jointly by the Department for Transport and Lancashire County Council.