Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

Most of England’s smart motorways are poor value for money, official reports find

Speed restrictions in place on the M4 smart motorway at Taplow in Buckinghamshire
Speed restrictions in place on the M4 smart motorway at Taplow in Buckinghamshire. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock

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.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.