Road users in South West are to benefit from less congested, safer and more reliable journeys as work to upgrade the M4 section of the M4/M5 smart motorway scheme near Bristol is completed this week.

Following trials undertaken earlier in the month, the Highways Agency will be opening the hard shoulder between junctions 19 and 20 of the M4 during peak traffic conditions from 26 November.

Traffic officers at the Highways Agency regional control centre in Avonmouth will open up the hard shoulder to traffic, setting messages and variable mandatory speed limits on the overhead gantries, to indicate when drivers can use the hard shoulder as an extra lane.

Variable speed limits will be shown in a red ring. Lane closures will be displayed by a solid red cross with flashing beacons and instructions to move out of a lane will be displayed by a white arrow.

Adrian Hull, Highways Agency assistant project manager said: “We’re delighted to launch this section of the smart motorway on the M4. It represents a real milestone for the project, which is ahead of schedule.

“We urge road users to follow the overhead signs, and remind them that the hard shoulder can only be legally used by motorists as a running lane when a speed limit is displayed above it – otherwise it is for emergency purposes only.”

Testing of hard shoulder running between junctions 15 and 17 of the M5 will begin in December.

Work started on the £88 million scheme at the Almondsbury Interchange in January 2012. The project, which covers seven miles of motorway, was scheduled for completion in the spring of 2014.

However, the Highways Agency, working closely with contractor Balfour Beatty, has been able to complete the first phase of the project early.

For further information on the M4 M5 managed motorway scheme, visit www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managing-our-roads/improving-our-network/managed-motorways/