Highways England has appointed six joint venture (JV) companies to design and build ten 'Smart Motorways' across England.

The project involves a £1.5 billion investment with three of the schemes to begin in autumn this year.

The smart motorway initiative is part of the current £15 billion government investment Highways England is delivering until 2021.

The project will see 292 extra lane miles added to motorways.

The hard shoulder will be converted to a traffic lane and signing and technology will tell motorists what speed to drive at, if lanes are blocked or closed and about traffic incidents.

The JV contractors appointed are:

• Balfour Beatty and VINCI.

• Costain and Galliford Try.

• Carillion and Kier.

The appointed JV designers include:

• CH2M and Hyder.

• Amey and Arup.

• Jacobs and Atkins.

The project awards are the second major procurement to be delivered under the company's Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF).

The first was the appointment of designers and contractors for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement announced in June.

The Balfour Beatty and VINCI JV has won a deal for a ten mile stretch of the M5 J4a to J6 in Worcestershire, a 12-mile section of the M6 J2 to J4 in the Midlands, and a 32-mile stretch of the M4 J3 to J12 in London and Berkshire.

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The contract is worth over £600 million and work on the first £45.4 million package on the M4 will start this autumn.

The M6 deal is expected to start in 2017/18 and the M4 scheme in 2016/17.

The CH2M and Hyder JV has been appointed as designers for the future schemes.

Galliford Try and Costain's JV has won deals of up to £367 million.

The package includes delivery of the M1 J19 to J16 'Smart Motorway' in Northamptonshire, beginning this autumn at a value of over £65 million.

It will also deliver two future schemes, the M1 J24 to J25 in the East Midlands and the M1 J13 to J16 in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Both are expected to begin in 2016/17 at an estimated combined value of up to £302 million.

The Amey and Arup JV has been appointed as the designers for these two future schemes.

The Carillion and Kier JV has been awarded a development package up to £475 million including delivery of the M6 J16 to J19 Smart Motorway in Staffordshire and Cheshire, starting this autumn.

It has also been appointed to develop the M6 J13 to J14 in Staffordshire, the M20 J3 to J5 in Kent and the M23 J8 to J10 in Surrey and West Sussex.

These schemes are expected to start work in 2017/18.

Jacobs and Atkins JV has been appointed as the designers of these three future schemes.

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said: "As part of our long-term economic plan, we are investing more than £1.5 billion over the next five years in upgrading congested sections of motorway. This means better journeys for millions of people across the country, easier access to jobs, and stronger links between towns and cities."

Highways England Smart Motorway Programme Director Andy Watson said: "We have awarded these contracts to the companies who demonstrated to us they will work together, across all the projects, not just the ones they have been awarded.

"They proved they are driven to get the best results on price, quality and on reducing impact on road users: keeping the motorways flowing while they construct these vital improvements."

(LM)