M4 shuts overnight for smart motorway works

The work is part of an ongoing £848m project to turn the M4 into a smart motorway

A stretch of the M4 is closing overnight over the weekend for ongoing work to turn it into a smart motorway.

The motorway will close between junctions 5 for Langley and 6 Slough/Windsor from 20:00 until 06:00 GMT on Saturday and Sunday.

Highways England said the schedule included work on underbridges at Junction 6 and taking scaffolding off the Windsor Rail underbridge.

Traffic will be diverted with drivers warned to allow extra time.

The motorway is expected to fully reopen by 06:00 on Monday, National Highways said.

The work is part of an ongoing £848m project to turn the M4 into a smart motorway.

• What are smart motorways and are they dangerous?

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Work between junctions 8/9 for Maidenhead and 12 at Theale was completed in February, with all temporary restrictions removed.

When the entire project is finished, between junctions 3 at Hayes and 12 at Theale, the hard shoulder will be a traffic lane.

National Highways said there were 29 places to stop in an emergency which included emergency areas.

In January, the government paused the rollout of smart motorways amid safety concerns until five years' worth of data has been collected to assess whether or not they are safe for drivers.