Most of England’s smart motorway schemes have proved poor or very poor value for money, according to assessments by the government agency that built them.
Official evaluations from National Highways, some of which had been held back by the Department for Transport (DfT) since completion in 2023, showed that a slew of big projects to convert the hard shoulder on the M1, M4, M6 and M25 were rated as “poor” or “very poor” value.
The AA said the long-awaited reports revealed smart motorways had been a “catastrophic waste of time, money and effort”, although the government said they showed the project could allow more vehicles to travel safely.
National Highways was given the go-ahead by the DfT to finally publish 16 reports known as “popes” (post-opening project evaluations) on Thursday. Of the 11 motorway schemes that were evaluated over a five-year period since opening and given a financial assessment, only two were rated positively.
Smart motorways, which were rolled out widely in England from 2013, were designed to increase capacity relatively cheaply, by converting the hard shoulder into a live lane and using electronic overhead signs to manage traffic and close lanes in emergencies.
But surveys show many motorists fear driving on them, with a number of fatal collisions occurring after breakdowns – even if official statistics maintain that smart motorways are relatively safe, particularly after a series of works since 2020 to add more emergency laybys and improve monitoring.
The 11 schemes with five-year assessments, completed between 2017 and 2019, cost a total of £2.3bn at 2010 prices. In a foreword to the reports, the National Highways chief customer officer, Elliot Shaw, said the schemes were “on course to deliver benefits, but will not deliver all the originally expected benefits within the 60-year appraisal period”.
He said value for money had been affected by lower traffic growth than expected since the 2008 financial crises, but also as “traffic on some smart motorway sections is not travelling as quickly as was forecast”.
However, the reports argued that other sections would have been unable to cope with increased traffic volumes had they not been upgraded.
The reports showed a mixed safety record, with a slight increase in the numbers killed or seriously injured on the M3 and on the M1 between junctions 29 and 42. National Highways said nearly all the schemes had met their safety objectives, although it has since carried out further work to improve safety on smart motorways, including 150 more emergency areas and more technology to detect stopped vehicles.
One scheme to exceed original projections for economic benefits, as well as improving safety, was between junctions 16 to 23 of the M25, a stretch that was widened and turned into a “controlled motorway” – with gantries and monitoring technology installed but retaining a hard shoulder. With faster journey times and an improved safety record, it was rated high value for money.
The AA said such controlled motorways should be the standard bearer for motorway improvements – but the reports showed most smart motorways were not easing traffic and costing the economy.
Edmund King, the AA president, said: “This has been a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort. Many of the schemes have slower journeys which causes traffic jams, loses the country cash and worsened the safety record of motorways.
“Motorways which have been widened, the hard shoulder kept and safety technology added have proved the most successful.”
He said drivers were increasingly fearful to use smart motorways, and recent AA polling found 47% felt anxious or nervous using them. He added: “We need the return of the hard shoulder to help give confidence to drivers, both now and in the future.”
Chris Todd, the director of Transport Action Network, said: ““The reports display a remarkable lack of curiosity over how the danger has increased from vehicles stopped in live running lanes … they raise more questions than they answer.”
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Our latest analysis continues to show that overall, smart motorways remain our safest roads. They are also providing much-needed extra capacity for drivers, helping to reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “These reports show that smart motorways can make journeys reliable and increase road capacity, so more vehicles can travel safely.”
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