Highways England is to begin a £7 million congestion cutting pilot scheme on the M62 in Cheshire.

The organisation will start installing smart motorway technology at Croft Interchange near Warrington from next month.

The scheme aims to give drivers smoother and more reliable journeys along the eastbound M62. From next summer, electronic information signs and variable mandatory speed limits will be utilised alongside traffic lights on the motorway link roads from the northbound and southbound M6.

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Large sections of the pilot will also form part of the permanent M62 junction 10 to junction 12 smart motorway system between Warrington and Manchester, which is set to start construction in 2018/19.

The project is being financed by a £150m innovation fund from the Government and encourages the organisation to look at new technology or techniques to improve journeys.

Andy Withington, Highways England's programme delivery manager for the North West, said: "This is an opportunity to combine existing technology and traffic management systems in a novel way to see whether we can give drivers using the frequently congested eastbound M62 lower journey times during peak hours and smoother, more reliable journeys.

"The system should be up and running by next summer and we will be monitoring its use over a period of up to a year. If it is successful – and we believe it will be – it could well be used on other motorway to motorway slip roads across the country."

(LM)