The UK’s Highways Agency is planning to start a new project on the M6 motorway in Lancashire, which will provide drivers with up-to-date traffic information.

Scheduled to commence on 13 January, the £1.7m project will involve installation of four new variable message signs (VMS) around junction 33 in order to provide motorists with the latest weather and traffic information.

These signs, along with cameras, will be deployed a mile and half a mile in each direction from the junction, with a fifth camera, to be erected on a stand-alone mast, set to be installed at the junction.

"We appreciate that people do like to know what work is going on within roadworks."

The project will also include new CCTV cameras that will be mounted on the signs for easy monitoring of incidents from the Newton-le-Willows North West Regional Control Centre,

Overall, the new scheme aims to reduce congestion on pinch-points on the UK’s roads.

Highways Agency project sponsor Dan Foster said: "The intelligence provided by the additional cameras will make it easier for Highways Agency traffic officers and partners like the police to respond to and manage incidents, boosting safety and journey reliability.

"None of the work is expected to cause any significant delays to drivers’ journeys but we appreciate that people do like to know what work is going on within roadworks."

The planned project is expected improve safety, while enhancing journey reliability on the M6 motorway.

Work will be completed by 14 March, with lane one expected to be closed in both directions throughout the project.

The new project is one of 123 government-led schemes that aim to reduce congestion on pinch-points on the UK’s roads.

The pinch-point programme, which was created with the help of local authorities and enterprise partnerships, includes 28 projects that will be delivered in the north-west with an investment of £66 million.