Latest news with #M6
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Could the M6 be Sydney's unbuildable motorway due to sinkholes and a reverse fault?
A 245-metre section of a new Sydney motorway tunnel plagued by sinkholes and a 'challenging' geological feature will bring a $3.1bn transport project to a grinding halt unless an eleventh-hour deal is reached. The M6's new twin 4km tunnels, connecting Sydney's south to the wider motorway network, were approved in 2019 and scheduled to open in 2025. That date was pushed back to 2028 after two large sinkholes opened above the tunnel and below an industrial estate in Rockdale in March 2024. But even that extended timeline is now in doubt after the consortium charged with the tunnels' construction between Kogarah and Arncliffe has said it will down tools from 30 June after the discovery of a 'high-angle reverse fault' in the bedrock close to the sinkholes. In an email to staff published by the Sydney Morning Herald in May, David Jackson, the director of the first stage of the M6 project – a joint venture of CPB, Ghella and UGL, known collectively as CGU – said CGU was pulling out. Jackson stated the design and construct contract had become 'frustrated' and was 'terminated by operation of the law'. He wrote that the tunnel 'excavation … has been on hold for almost a year now due to the impact of unique adverse ground conditions caused by a complex faulting zone, including a high-angle reverse fault (never seen before in the Sydney basin)'. 'The presence of such ground conditions could not have been anticipated by anyone,' he said, adding that they were only discovered once tunnel excavation was carried out. 'It is now apparent that a compliant design solution cannot be achieved to overcome these challenging ground conditions.' The government was made aware of CGU's intention to walk away before the email was sent to staff, a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) spokesperson told Guardian Australia. The project is otherwise 90% completed. Above-ground work by CGU in Kogarah may continue and could be completed by the end of the year. The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has criticised the unilateral move, claiming that the contractor remains responsible for designing and building the tunnels. 'My best advice to the contractor today is to send the lawyers home and bring back the engineers,' he told reporters in May. 'I'm not going to allow NSW taxpayers to be put over a barrel for these big projects.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A TfNSW spokesperson says the department remains 'optimistic' about reaching an agreement with CGU. They previously said the government was working with the contractor 'to identify a technical solution to the issues encountered' on the project and claimed the consortium had not demonstrated it had exhausted all technical options to move forward with the works. 'It is unfortunate CGU now appears to have determined it is in their commercial interest to down tools instead. We're considering Transport's position in relation to the contract given the unilateral steps taken by CGU,' TfNSW said. As part of the tender process for the major project, potential contractors were given geotechnical reports of the ground where the works would be carried out, TfNSW says. It was unable to provide geotechnical reports from any stage of the project to Guardian Australia. CPB, as lead contractor for CGU, says it cannot comment further. Grahame Campbell, an engineer who project managed the M4 – which was finished in half the forecast time and budget – has written a paper for the Centre for Independent Studies about 'bungles' that lead to cost and time blowouts on major infrastructure projects in Australia. He is confident the M6 will be completed eventually, but believes it will be over budget – like other major projects including Sydney's metro and light rail builds and Melbourne's North East Link. 'Of course it can be finished and it's a matter of doing it correctly and doing it with the right team,' he says. Speaking generally, Campbell says blowouts have not always been so common. They can be caused by various factors, including contractors starting construction before finishing designs, changes to designs, governments handing responsibility for risks to contractors, and a lack of expertise within government or at the contractor level. 'A contractor is pretty good at throwing concrete in the ground and putting pitching on the soil,' he says. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'But they're [sometimes] not particularly good at project management. Keep your mind open and understand the broadest issues and deal with them. Unfortunately, those concepts aren't very big in government … at the moment and they get into these messes. 'You would think that having lost billions of dollars over decades, [governments] would have learned by now – but unfortunately it doesn't seem like they have.' Setting up and decommissioning work sites is expensive but it's not unusual for contractors to change midway through builds, Campbell says. Stakeholders should learn from previous large projects, he argues. 'Thousands of projects have been built in the Sydney basin. You know, you could go back and see how they were managed.' Soil or geological abnormalities should ideally be discovered before works begin. Water management – which can lead to sinkholes – is 'always the biggest problem' in major projects, Campbell says. Prof Behzad Fatahi, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Technology Sydney, says the city is home to fault zones, most of which are classified as 'normal'. 'Reverse faults', where a layer of rock is forced upwards and over another layer, are less common and hard to detect because the fault angle is often very steep. Boreholes drilled into the ground five to 10 metres apart may miss a reverse fault, the professor says. Fatahi says survey techniques, including seismic surveys, are not 'bulletproof … There is always a chance of missing things.' The danger of building a tunnel at the site of a rock fault stems from potential movement at the fault zone. While Sydney is not a highly seismic area, even a tiny amount of rock movement could compromise a tunnel, he says. A novel way to protect underground pipelines from land movements involves cushioning pipes with foam, his research has shown. Solutions to prevent sinkholes include grouting, tunnel lining and freezing the ground before excavating. All civil geotech designs come with some unknowns, he says. 'There is no zero-risk … but this doesn't mean that there will be big surprises'. The two sinkholes that opened up above the M6 tunnel were not a normal risk associated with digging, Dr Francois Guillard says. The senior lecturer in the school of civil engineering at the University of Sydney says sinkholes can happen anywhere water penetrates the ground, although karstic regions – often made of soluble limestone – are typically more prone to sinkholes. Sydney is not especially prone to the phenomenon, given its mainly sandstone geology, Guillard says. For a sinkhole to develop, material under the ground's surface needs to be removed, usually by water erosion or chemical decomposition. In urban areas, disturbance of usual water drainage patterns can lead to sinkhole formation under the surface of tarmac. He agrees that investigations of soil and geology from the surface are 'not perfect'. Guillard says human-made sinkholes, triggered by engineering or building works, are 'rare' – as are urban sinkholes generally. 'I would not recommend people be worried, it's low risk,' he says.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
10 motorways closed the MOST in England in 2025 so far including infamous junction used by over 50,000 drivers daily
ENGLAND'S most closure-prone roads have been revealed – with the notorious M6 stretch between junctions 6 and 7 near Birmingham taking the top spot in 2025 so far. Freedom of Information data obtained by Co-op Insurance shows that the busy route has experienced the highest number of shut-downs so far this year. 5 5 5 5 5 The section, located in the West Midlands and known as the Spaghetti Junction, has been closed 29 times since January. Connecting the M6 with the A38(M) Aston Expressway and other local roads like the A38 and A5127, the junction is famous for its complex, multi-level design. It also features numerous slip roads, a roundabout - Salford Circus - and elevated roadways. The nickname "Spaghetti' was reportedly coined by a Birmingham Evening Mail journalist in the 1970s, due to the junction's complex network of intertwining roads. This causes significant issues for thousands of drivers, with data showing some 50,000 cars use the M6 toll each day, although the M6 itself is known to carry more traffic, with a section near Wolverhampton said to take some 180,000. Coming in just behind it in the ranking is junctions 37 to 38 on the A1M near Doncaster, while the M1 between junctions 23a and 24 near East Midlands Airport is in third place. Road closures are serious bad news for drivers as they lead to an increase in journey times – which, in turn, means much more stress and frustration. This, of course, can impair driving performance and safety, raising the risk of accidents and incidents occurring. Paul Evans, Head of Motor at Co-op Insurance, said: 'From commuting to leisure trips and visiting loved ones, our motorway network is a vital part of so many people's daily journeys. 'However, our findings suggest that getting from A to B via the motorway can sometimes be less than straightforward, with road closures seemingly on the rise and particularly common on certain stretches of motorway. The Nottingham road where speeding is so bad that people are selling their houses 'We're therefore urging drivers to plan their journeys carefully before they set off so that they can be prepared for any road closures, avoid rushed or panicked decisions and safely navigate diversions.' The motoring experts also found which motorways closed the most throughout 2024 – having found that motorway road closures rose by 18% last year. The number recorded by National Highways in England increased to more than 6,870, with incidents of total closures of both carriageways rising by 14% to just over 280. When it came to the roads worst affected by closures, they found that junction 63 of the A1M at Chester-Le-Street was closed the most – with a sizeable tally of 127. This was followed by the M53 at junction eight northbound in Ellesmere Port and the M6 between junction 21 and 21a in Warrington. Indeed, four out of the top 10 junction locations with the highest number of road closures in 2024 were in Yorkshire – with three on the M621 in Leeds. Elsewhere, three of the top 10 were in Cheshire, with two on the M53.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic stopped on M6 as vehicle goes up in flames
All traffic was stopped on the M6 this afternoon (June 28) following a vehicle fire. The incident took place just after 12pm between junctions 30 and 31 (Samlesbury Interchange) just outside of Preston, according to Inrix. Videos shared with the Manchester Evening News on Facebook show police vehicles blocking the road and sirens blaring as a thick black plume of smoke pours from the burning car. READ MORE: Sir Rod Stewart says 'sounds filthy' as he makes Glastonbury cancellation admission READ MORE: Manchester suburb's 'beating heart' will be 'turned inside out' with huge new plans It is not known whether anybody was injured in the incident, which caused stop-start traffic on the motorway further south and long delays of up to 75 minutes. Traffic began moving again just after 1pm but two lanes remained closed as emergency services worked to clear the scene. Another video shared with the M.E.N showed the charred remains of the vehicle, whose engine appeared to have exploded. Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
M6 closed with drivers facing huge rush hour delays & warned ‘avoid the area'
THE M6 has been closed by police over a "very serious incident" with drivers facing lengthy delays. The major motorway is closed for a "police-led incident" between Junction 6 (Gravelly Hill/Aston) and Junction 8 (M5). A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We are at the scene of a very serious incident on the M6 and the motorway is currently closed Northbound between Junction 7 and Junction 8. "It is closed Northbound between Junction 7 at Great Barr Interchange and Junction 8 at the M5. "Road closures are expected to be in place for some time, and drivers are advised to find alternative routes." A spokesman for Highways England added: "The M6 in the West Midlands is closed northbound between J6 (Gravelly Hill/Aston) and J8 (M5) due to a Police led Incident. "Emergency Services including West Midlands Police are on scene. "National Highways Traffic Officers are in attendance assisting with traffic management. "Police investigation work is in its final stages. Once complete carriageway clearance will take place and then the road can be reopen." Full diversion for M6 closure Road users for the M6 north are advised to first follow the hollow square diversion symbol on road signs: At M6 Junction 6 take the exit to A38(M), Aston Expressway. Continue along A38(M) southwards and leave at Dartmouth Circus. Take the exit to A4540 westbound, Newtown Middleway. At the junction with A34, Newtown Row, take the exit to A34 northbound. Continue along A34 northbound through the M6 Junction 7. From here follow the solid diamond diversion symbol on road signs: Continue along A34 to its junction with A4148, Broadway North. Take the exit to Broadway North and continue to its junction with A454. Take the exit to A454 westbound, Wolverhampton Road and continue to M6 junction 10 and take the 3rd exit at the roundabout to rejoin the M6 northbound. Road users heading on the M5 south are advised to first follow the solid triangle diversion symbol on road signs: At M6 Junction 6 take the exit to A38(M), Aston Expressway. Continue along A38(M) southwards and leave at Dartmouth Circus. Take the exit to A4540 westbound, Newtown Middleway. At the junction with A34, Newtown Row, take the exit to A34 northbound. Continue along A34 northbound to the signalised junction with the A4041 and turn left onto the A4041. From here follow the solid triangle diversion symbol on road signs: From here follow the solid triangle diversion symbol on road signs: Continue on A4041, westbound, to A4041/A4031 junction. At A4041/A4031 junction, turn left, onto A4031, southbound. Continue on A4031, southbound, to A4031/A41 roundabout. At A4031/A41 roundabout, turn left (1st exit) onto A41, eastbound. Continue on A41, eastbound to M5 junction 1. At M5 junction 1 take 4th exit, onto M5, southbound. 1
The Sun
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
M6 carnage as overturned vehicle sparks huge tailbacks with road blocked & drivers stuck
A MAJOR motorway has ground to a halt after a collision caused a vehicle to overturn. Traffic has been stopped along the M6 around Greater Manchester since 7am this morning. 1 Drivers heading northbound have been stuck for several hours. Lancashire Police confirmed that delays had been sparked by a collision between a van and a car. Officers were called out to attend the smash at 6.30am. The Inrix traffic monitoring service said that vehicles were being held between Junction 27 at Standish and 28 at Leyland. An update read: "M6 Northbound blocked, severe delays due to accident, overturned vehicle involved from J27 A5209 Crow Orchard Road (Standish) to J28 B5256 Leyland Way (Leyland). "All traffic was blocked around 07:00am."
