MORE than £6 million is to be spent making Preston's motorway network safer.

The Highways Agency has announced plans to invest the money in new Variable Message Signs (VMS) which warn motorists of problems ahead. The signs are already used elsewhere in the country and have been hailed a great success.

They will be placed at strategic points on the M6 between Standish and the M6/M55 junction in north Preston, and on the M61 between Horwich and its junction with the M6 in Bamber Bridge.

The new cables which are laid next to the motorway to operate the signs will also be used to work the emergency telephones positioned on the hard shoulder, allowing for more calls to be dealt with simultaneously.

Work on the project begins next week, last for 36 weeks during which time some lanes on the M6 and M61 will be closed. The first signs should appear in May.

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