Draft Paper Details Could Change

Draft Paper – Details could change

JOINT HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORT PANELAGENDA ITEM 3

MONDAY 22ND MAY 2006 AT 6.30 PM

M25 Storyline – Rapid Widening J16-31, J1b-3 and J5-7

1The M25 London Orbital Motorway

2History – The Orbit Study

3M25 Widening Schemes

4Environmental Assessment and Consultation

5Time Line

1The M25 London Orbital Motorway

1.1The M25 London orbital motorway is approximately 186 km long and in most parts carries in the region of 100,000 to 200,000 vehicles per day. In addition to providing a ring road around London, it also links the South East ports to the Midlands and North, and acts as a local distributor for regular commuter traffic that, frequently, only undertakes journeys of between 2 and 3 junctions. The M25 passes through five counties: Kent, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex, and passes around the Greater London Authority area

1.2Although it is now considered a single entity forming a complete orbital route around London, the M25 was constructed in a piece-meal fashion between 1975 and 1986. Some lengths have subsequently been widened or modified.

1.3The existing M25 is generally a three or four-lane dual carriageway with some dual five or six-lane sections (Junction 12 to 15). The M25 includes a total of 33 interchanges, numbered consecutively from Junction 1a south of the Dartford Tunnel connecting with the A225, clockwise round to Junction 31 north of the Dartford Tunnel connecting with A13. These interchanges include nine major motorway-to-motorway interchanges at M20, M26, M23, M3, M4, M40, M1, M11 and A1(M).

1.4The orbital motorway is completed by the A282 trunk road, which crosses the Thames at Dartford. The geographic limits of the crossings extend from M25 Junction 30 at Thurrock in Essex to M25 Junction 1b at Dartford in Kent. The crossings comprise two tunnels and a high level cable stayed bridge together with the associated toll collection plazas. In total, the crossings are used by an average of 150,000 vehicles per day.

2History – The Orbit Study

2.1In spring 2000, the London Orbital Multi-Modal Study (Orbit) was commissioned by the Government Office for the South East to examine problems of congestion on the strategic road network and seek solutions from all modes of transport. The key aim of Orbit was to produce a long-term sustainable management strategy for the M25, which met the Government’s objectives for transport and solved, or at least reduced, the problems on the M25, during the present day and in the future.

2.2A number of key principles were agreed with the Steering Group which supplemented the normal appraisal procedures.

• The first key principle adopted was that the broad categories of measure should be investigated in the following order:

­making better use of the existing transport system;

­demand management;

­alternatives to the car; and

­new road capacity, as a last resort.

This approach is in line with Government transport policy as set out in the Transport White Papers “A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone” and “The Future for Transport”.

• The second key principle was aimed at ensuring that the benefits of the increased motorway capacity should be ‘locked in’ as far as possible to reduce erosion by induced traffic.
• The third key principle was aimed at optimising the scale and timing of additional road capacity, thereby avoiding the over-provision of road capacity and providing for increased sustainability

[Orbit Strategy image deleted]

2.3The Orbit report identified two approaches to delivering the strategy:

• the provision of additional M25 capacity by the widening of the M25 to a dual four-lane standard between J16 and 31, between J1b and J3 and also between J5-7; and
• the implementation of measures to manage demand.

2.4It was identified that the widening should generally be undertaken within existing highway boundaries.

2.5In response to Orbit, the Secretary of State (SofS) announced, in July 2003, that he supported the widening schemes recommended, and that these should be delivered by the Highways Agency over the next 10 years. The scheme would involve widening of most of the remaining dual three lane sections to dual four lanes, covering 67 miles of motorway.

2.6The SofS also asked the Highways Agency to work up more detailed proposals for improving the management of the M25 including better detection and management of incidents and, subject to the outcome of the current pilot, the extension of variable speed limits.

2.7Demand management measures are subdivided into physical and fiscal measures. The physical measures have been referred to as “Integrated Traffic Management” (ITM) and are being taken forward by the HA as a separate study in consultation with local highway authorities.

2.8The introduction by the Government of fiscal measures such as electronic road pricing, tolling and area wide road user charging will be the subject of consideration by the Government some time in the future; as such, fiscal measures are not being investigated as part of the ITM studies.

3M25 Widening Schemes

3.1The Highways Agency’s response to the SofS request was to carry out feasibility work on these schemes to confirm their viability, cost and impact, and to bring forward proposals for entry to the Target Programme of Improvements (TPI).

3.2The widening programme was subsequently sub-divided as follows:

• Section 1 - Junction 16 to 23 (M40 – A1(M))
• Section 2 - Junction 5 to 7 (M26 – Redhill/M23)
• Section 3 - Junction 1b to 3 (Dartford – A20/M20)
• Section 4 - Junction 27 to 31 (M11 – Dartford Crossing)
• Section 5 - Junction 23 to 27 (A1(M) – M11)

[M25 Section identification plan deleted]

3.3The order of construction of the widening was identified to take into account current congestion levels. Section 1, which would be the first section to be implemented, would commence on site in 2009; with the last section (Section 5) commencing in 2012. Each section would take approximately 2 years to construct.

3.4An announcement to upgrade the M25 in accordance with the SofS’s decision was made by the Highways Agency on 14th April 2004.

3.5Following confirmation of the schemes the Highways Agency took the decision to accelerate the construction of Section 3, by combining the works with the adjacent scheme to widen and improve the A2/A282 junction at J1b. These works are now being taken forward by the Highways Agency’s Major Projects (South) team as a separate Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contract.

3.6The widening proposals also pass through the Bell Common and Holmesdale Tunnels between Junctions 25 and 27. A separate project to upgrade the tunnel ventilation and lighting system at Holmesdale Tunnel and provide an extra lane eastbound through J25 is being taken forward by the Highways Agency as a separate contract

3.7Between 2004 and 2006 the Highways Agency has retained consultants to develop proposals for the widening of the remaining schemes with the aim to deliver these schemes as either separate ECI contracts, or alternatively to use a Design Build Finance & Operator (DBFO) contract to secure all or some of the widening.

3.8In 2005 the Highways Agency confirmed its intention to procure these works as a single DBFO contract to commence in 2008. This contract would also incorporate the operations and maintenance of the whole of the M25 including Dartford Crossing over a 30 year period. The contract will include proposals to upgrade the tunnel ventilation and lighting systems, of Bell Common Tunnel on M25. This contract will replace the HA’s existing arrangements with the M25 Sphere and Le Crossing for the operation and maintenance of the existing network.

4Environmental Assessment and Consultation

4.1During the development of these proposals the Highways Agency has undertaken and continues to hold numerous meetings with local authorities, Statutory Environmental Bodies (SEB) and other interested parties. It is the intention of these meetings to help to shape the schemes by understanding and addressing the local and environmentally issues in their design.

4.2The strategy for consultation on the design and for publishing Environmental Statements (ESs) for the widening schemes is linked to the proposed construction programme. Consequently, as Section 1 will be constructed first, its ES will be developed and published in advance of the award of the DBFO contract. This will enable the DBFO Company to commence construction shortly after the award of contract. The ESs and the detailed designs for the remaining sections will be developed and published by the DBFO Company to suit his intended construction programme. The Section 1 ES will be published in Autumn 2006.

4.3Historically, consultations were undertaken with SEBs in 2004 to develop the Environmental Scoping Report for all the widening schemes. These were followed up in 2005 with further environmental workshops on the development of the Section 1 widening proposals.

4.4Ongoing consultation on the developments of the Section 2, 4 and 5 widening proposals will be undertaken via a series of workshops during the Spring and Summer of 2006.

4.5Technical consultation on the development of the proposals has been undertaken throughout 2005 and 2006 with Emergency Services, operators and technical specialists.

5Time Line

5.1Key relevant dates are set out below.

Note: This programme is subject to change depending on progress with statutory procedures, the DBFO tenderers’ proposals and the need to coordinate with other works