Press release

£1.7million pinch point project to upgrade technology on the M62 / M18 Langham Interchange

A Highways Agency project to install new technology on the M62 / M18 Langham Interchange near Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire will begin on 20 October.

The work will affect 4 miles (6.5km) of the motorway around M62 junction 35 and M18 junction 7. The scheme involves installing new motorway incident detection and automated signalling (MIDAS) loops in the carriageway. These loops allow the traffic flow on the motorway to be monitored and the technology will automatically set signs to warn drivers of slow moving traffic. This information, which is also fed back to the Agency’s regional control centre in Wakefield, will help protect slow-moving traffic from rear-end collisions, reducing the number of accidents and associated delays, and improve safety and the flow of traffic.

Highways Agency Service Delivery Team Leader Roger Wantling said:

Once the scheme is complete, the extra technology in place will improve road safety and reduce congestion and delays. During the work we advise drivers to check local traffic conditions and leave extra time for their journeys if necessary.

The work, scheduled to last until February 2015, will mainly be carried out between 8am and 5pm, and 8pm and 6am using hard shoulder closures. Overnight there will also be lane closures and slip road closures in place. For safety reasons the traffic management will remain in place 24 hours a day. Every effort will be made to ensure disruption to traffic and residents is kept to a minimum.

This is one of 15 Highways Agency pinch point schemes taking in place in Yorkshire and Humber this year. Three schemes have already been completed, 11 are underway and 1 will be starting shortly. The Government’s £317 million national pinch point programme provides smaller scale improvements that can deliver big returns by easing congestion and making journey times more reliable for road users, including hauliers and commuters, to help boost local economies and drive economic growth.

More information about the scheme is available on the Highways Agency website. Information on the pinch point programme can also be found on the website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways Agency press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Published 14 October 2014