M62 and M1 plans cancelled as all new smart motorways scrapped

Plans to create a smart motorway between Sheffield and Wakefield are among dozens of road schemes to be scrapped, amid fears over safety and cost.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced plans to cancel ALL new smart motorways, and invest £900 million in safety improvements for existing smart motorways.

In total, fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 which were paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road building plans.

They include the M62 between Junctions 20 and 30, and the M1 between Junctions 35A and 39.

This is due to financial pressures and the lack of public trust in the road system.

The Department for Transport said the construction of these schemes would have cost more than £1 billion.

Smart motorway campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband died in a crash on the M1, welcomed the Government’s decision to scrap new smart motorways but said she would continue pushing for the hard shoulder to return on every road.

Claire Mercer's husband Jason was killed on the all-lane section of the M1 near Sheffield in 2019 when he was hit by a lorry after stopping following a minor crash.

Claire Mercer, who founded Smart Motorways Kill, says her husband would still be alive had there been a hard shoulder.

A coroner concluded that the lack of a hard shoulder contributed to Mr Mercer's death.

The Government and National Highways says it has earmarked £900 million to improve safety on existing routes creating 150 more emergency stopping places across the network.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want the public to know that this Government is listening to their concerns.

“Today’s announcement means no new smart motorways will be built, recognising the lack of public confidence felt by drivers and the cost pressures due to inflation.”