M27 smart motorway to see speed limit increased to 60mph - but project is behind schedule

Following a report by Highways England on the progress made on smart motorways in the UK – including the M27 between junctions 4 and 11 – the government-owned company has confirmed that due to the installation of radar SVD technology, there will be some delays to the project.

This means that stopped vehicles will be detected sooner, so that motorway adjustments can be made.

However, the current 50mph speed limit will be increased to 60mph, before being raised to 70mph when the motorway is fully reopened.

A spokesman for Highways England said: ‘We are near to completion of the upgrade to the M27, and have committed to implementing the recommendations of the Government stocktake before the scheme opens fully. This means it will include stopped vehicle detection technology.

‘We are grateful for peoples patience while we complete this work, and we expect the upgrade to be fully open later this year.’

A new timeline for the works is set to be announced further down the line.

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