WIDENING MANCHESTER'S MOTORWAY BENEFITS

The M60 near Manchester is being widened to reduce congestion. The motorway will be widened to four lanes between Junctions 5 and 7 and three lanes between 7 and 8. The scheme also includes junction upgrades, new motorway bridges over the River Mersey, Bridgewater Canal and a Metrolink tram line, three new footbridges and extensive landscaping. Main contractor Amec/Alfred McAlpine's work will improve safety, reduce road noise and enhance the environment. Narrow traffic lanes have been established to keep traffic moving, with a 40 mph speed limit for safety. The motorway will be widened on whichever side land is available and the carriageways will be realigned to suit. Between Junctions 6 and 7, the road passes through landfill and weak alluvial deposits. Halcrow worked with Pennine Vibropiling to develop an embankment construction technique to prevent settlement. The embankments were constructed in two stages using a combination of vibro concrete columns, vibro stone columns and vertical drains. Extensive instrumentation was used to monitor natural settlement in embankments where no improvement was carried out.