Plans for 'smart motorway' on show at Theale

Residents invited to village hall to learn how an £862.4 scheme to expand the M4 will affect their area

WEST Berkshire residents are being invited to attend a public exhibition in Theale today to learn more about plans to convert the M4 into a ‘smart motorway’.

The exhibition will be held at Theale Village Hall from 3pm to 8pm.

Highways England will be carrying out the work from Junction 3 (Hayes) to Junction 12 (Theale) this autumn.

The work will involve transforming the hard shoulder into a fourth lane, the introduction of variable speed limits and employing fast reacting road signs to inform motorists of developments.

The major scheme, which will cost up to £862.4m, will also see 11 bridges carrying local traffic over the motorway demolished and replaced.

So-called smart motorways use a range of new technology, including electronic signs, to vary speed limits in response to driving conditions and to reduce congestion.

The work on the M4 will begin in September and is expected to be completed by March 2022.

It will be the longest smart motorway project in England to date, covering 51km (32 miles).

Work between junctions 11 and 12 will start in May 2020 and is expected to finish in February 2022.

Highways England representatives, along with the design and construction teams, will be available at the exhibition to discuss the scheme and answer residents’ questions.