Reducing traffic and increasing safety

M4 Junction 11, Reading

Junction 11 of the M4 had become a bottleneck, causing congestion in and around the junction. To resolve this, Reading Borough Council appointed our team as project manager and designer on the £65 million scheme to improve traffic conditions for all users of the junction.

The junction is Reading’s main traffic gateway, which meant the project had to be completed while keeping traffic flowing. A detailed acoustic model of the area was produced to assist in the planning application. We provided solutions that reduced noise levels below the existing levels, leaving receptors in the vicinity of the site with a positive impact of lower noise levels than before development.

Our Intelligent Transport System team used microsimulation and Transyt modelling tools to optimise the design of the scheme, including lane markings and spiral markings which enabled it to be legible to drivers and has maximised its resilience to changing traffic flows over time within the constraints of the scheme.

Since completion in the summer of 2010, journey times in peak rush hour have been reduced and queuing on the motorway is now a rare occurrence. New pedestrian cycle bridges have provided a segregated route through the junction away from traffic to increase safety for all junction users. To top it off, more than 4,000 trees and shrubs were planted and four new wetland areas were created to attract wildlife to the area.