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12:53 PM 3rd February 2021
cars

1,500 Greater Manchester Homes To Benefit From Quieter M602

 
New quieter road surface equivalent to halving motorway traffic
£411 million allocated for environmental and wellbeing improvements

More than 1,500 households in Eccles and Salford will soon be enjoying a quieter life thanks to a new type of road surface being installed on the M602.

Highways England is replacing the existing asphalt with a smoother and thinner road surface which will lead to a noise reduction equivalent to halving the amount of traffic on the motorway.

The new low-noise road surface will benefit thousands of people who live close to the M602.
The new low-noise road surface will benefit thousands of people who live close to the M602.
The organisation has used low-noise surfacing, barriers and free double glazing to reduce noise levels for over 40,000 roadside residents since 2015, with another 7,500 households due to benefit from improvements by 2025.

The noise reduction schemes are being funded by Highways England’s £411 million Environment and Wellbeing Fund, which is also being used to improve air quality and biodiversity, and reduce flood risk.

Rob Williams, Highways England’s project manager, said:

“The M602 plays vital role in connecting Manchester to the rest of the country, with tens of thousands of vehicles travelling along it every day. The motorway also affects nearby communities in Eccles and Salford, and we’re committed to reducing noise levels wherever we can.

“The new type of road surface we’re installing should have a big impact on the amount of noise generated by the trucks, vans and cars that use the motorway so that roadside residents can enjoy a quieter life in the future.”

The work to resurface the M602 is due to start on Monday 8 February and be completed by May. Some lane or carriageway closures will be needed overnight between junctions 1 and 3 eastbound, and between junctions 2 and 3 westbound.

The closures will be in place from 9pm, Monday to Saturday, and will be lifted by 5am or by 7am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. There will not be any closures on Sunday nights and only one side of the motorway will be closed at a time, with a diversion in place.

Last year Highways England also installed a new three-mile long steel barrier along the central reservation to improve safety for drivers. The old barrier was fitted when the motorway first opened in the 1970s and 1980s, and had become corroded in places.

More details on the resurfacing scheme are available at www.highwaysengland.co.uk/regions/north-west.