Work to ease junction congestion

A £2.3m project to improve traffic flows at a Cumbrian motorway junction has been announced.

Work on the M6 at Junction 40 at Penrith will start on 19 September and should be completed by February 2006.

It will include widening entry roads to the roundabout, widening the roundabout to three lanes and setting up full time traffic signal controls.

More than 44,000 vehicles use the junction daily and there are an average of 10 injury accidents each year.

The project is one of 92 priority action sites announced by the government to tackle congestion.

There will be some traffic restrictions around the site and a speed limit.

Highways Agency project manager Phil Davies said: "This is a major project that will bring long-term benefits to motorists.

"This junction has been highlighted as a priority action site and these plans will improve the capacity of the junction, reduce congestion and improve safety."