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'BENDY' TRAFFIC LIGHTS
Innovative 'bendy' traffic lights to improve safety used for the first time in the north-west.
The Highways Agency are to carry out a GBP900,000 scheme to improve congestion and safety at Junction 20 (Thornham) on the M62. Work will start on Monday January 30th.
The work will include installing 'flexible' traffic signal posts as a safety measure for the first time on the north-west road network, together with 'intelligent' lights, which respond to traffic build-up around the junction.
The innovative traffic signal posts are designed to bend or break when struck by a vehicle.
They are being introduced after extensive safety tests at high and low speeds showed they caused less damage to vehicles and helped protect passengers from serious injury.
The new posts are part of safety improvements being introduced at M62 Junction 20, which is the junction with the A627(M) to Oldham and Rochdale.
The improvements to signals and lane markings at the junction are aimed at reducing the number of accidents the junction has experienced with 50 recorded accidents in the three year period between 1999 and 2002.
Many of the accidents were shunts between vehicles, so the traffic signals will be installed on high poles to improve visibility.
The part time traffic signals will be replaced with innovative 'intelligent' full time signals operated by loops in the road.
The 'intelligent' system will co-ordinate vehicles movements through the roundabout by measuring queue lengths and automatically changing the traffic lights to allow the maximum amount of traffic through.
Other measures at the junction include improved lane markings and anti-skid surfacing.
Highways Agency project manager Mark Mosley said: "We aim to improve congestion and safety at a busy junction with a high accident rate.
"By using 'intelligent' traffic lights and improving the road markings we hope to improve congestion and the introduction of the 'bendy' traffic lights we will be improving safety.
"There are 32 traffic lights at this junction, 24 of which will be protected by safety fences.
The remaining eight will be of the new 'bendy' design, because it is not possible to provide safety barriers."
"The new flexible signs have been tested and because they bend or break on impact cause less damage to vehicles and help protect passengers from serious injuries."
Last year, the Highways Agency approved the use of flexible sign posts as a safer option when signs needed to be replaced.
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