D6.10.1 The guidance in this section only applies for stops of over 90 minutes duration. Guidance covering stops on the hard shoulder of up to 90 minutes duration is contained in the document “Guidance for works on the hard shoulder and road side verges on high speed dual carriageways.” This is Highways Agency document IAN115/08 and it is available on the following website: www.standardsforhighways.co.uk. This document is not valid in Northern Ireland and guidance for short and medium duration inspection stops in Northern Ireland is given in Appendix A4.
D6.10.2 The requirements for signing on the hard shoulder are shown on Plan DC1. Designers need to take into account the fact that motorists in difficulty may need access to the coned-off area of the hard shoulder. However, signs advising drivers to use a coned-off area in the event of an emergency must not be used.
D6.10.3 The length of coned-off area should be limited to that required to provide safe access, works area/ working space and site exit. Excessive lengths of coning between discontinuous sites as a works link access route are to be avoided as the hard shoulder is primarily provided as a safety refuge for motorists in trouble who need to pull off the carriageway. Consideration should also be given to reducing the length of coned-off hard shoulder when there is no works activity.
D6.10.4 The risks associated with extending hard shoulder closures to provide continuous lengths between sites should be compared with those for providing more discrete hard shoulder closures and should take account of the need to provide safe refuge for motorists in trouble and safe haulage of plant between the sites.
D6.10.5 If the use of temporary vehicle restraint safety barriers is being considered by the designer, reference should be made to Section D3.10 and TD 19 “Requirement for road restraint systems” (DMRB 2.2.8).
D6.10.6 The “NO HARD SHOULDER FOR 400 YARDS” sign to diagram 7015 or variant should be used in advance of the closure where only the hard shoulder is closed or to be occupied by the works.
D6.10.7 The length of the hard shoulder works should be limited to 4 kilometres. Where the hard shoulder is removed from service for a length in excess of 1.5 kms, provision of a free recovery operation should be considered; see Section D3.35 and paragraph D4.10.37.
D6.10.8 If a temporary mandatory speed limit is imposed, the initial temporary speed limit signs to diagram 670 should be located 100 m in advance of the initial closure of the hard shoulder, i.e. the first signing to Detail A. Repeater signs will be required through the works; see Table 3.4 in Section D3.7. A “road works” sign to diagram 7001 with distance plate to diagram 572 showing “1 mile” is required on the near side and off side one mile in advance of the initial closure, and a “road works” sign to diagram 7001 with distance plate “800 yds” to diagram 572 is required on the near side (in place of the plate “On hard shoulder” to diagram 7001.1) and on the off side 800 m in advance of the initial closure. An “end of road works” sign to diagrams 7001/645 is also required on the off side, as well as the near side.
D6.10.9 If works on the hard shoulder are undertaken close to exit slip roads (i.e. within 500 m of the slip road), there may be additional risks to the workforce from diverging vehicles. In this case, additional protection may be required. Consideration should also be given to extending the closure to include the slip road hard shoulder, where one exists, to minimise the conflict between exiting works vehicles and main carriageway traffi c.
Plan DC1: Dual carriageway road, hard shoulder closure only
The principles are:
• a “road works” sign (7001) with plate “On hard shoulder” (7001.1) on the near side, placed 800 m in advance of the initial closure of the hard shoulder, i.e. the fi rst signing to Detail A; • a “NO HARD SHOULDER FOR ¾ MILE” sign (7015) on the near side only, placed 400 m in advance
of the initial closure of the hard shoulder i.e. the first signing to Detail A. The distance shown may be varied but must be expressed to the nearest 10 yards for distances less than ½ mile, to the nearest ¼ mile for distances of ½ mile or more but less than 3 miles and to the nearest mile for distances over 3 miles; the distance shall be expressed as “YARDS”, “MILE” or “MILES”; • a “WORKS ACCESS ONLY 100 yds” sign (7306) on the near side only, adjacent to initial closure
of the hard shoulder, i.e. the fi rst signing to Detail A;
• signing to Detail A on the hard shoulder 100 m in advance of the first cone of longitudinal coning to Detail C1, repeated 50 m from the fi rst cone of longitudinal coning to Detail C1;
• a “WORKS TRAFFIC ONLY” sign (7301) located on the near side only adjacent to the fi rst cone of longitudinal coning to Detail C1;
• coning to Detail C1 adjacent to the works area – coning to Detail D (18 m) may be used beyond the works area on long straight lengths parallel to the line of traffic, where coning is required for safety reasons;
• a “WORKS EXIT” sign (7302) on the near side only at the end of the coning; and
• at the end of the works, a “road works” sign (7001) in combination with sign “End” (645) placed on the near side of the carriageway, 90 m from the end of the works.
If a temporary mandatory speed limit is imposed, then the following additional principles apply:
• a “road works” sign (7001) with distance plate (572) showing “1 mile” on the near side and off side, one mile in advance of the initial closure of the hard shoulder, i.e. the fi rst signing to Detail A;
• a “road works” sign (7001) with distance plate “800 yds” (572) on the near side (in place of the plate “On hard shoulder” (7001.1)) and off side, placed 800 m in advance of the initial closure of the hard shoulder;
• one pair of temporary speed limit signs to diagram 670 located 100 m in advance of the initial closure of the hard shoulder;
• speed limit repeater signs are required throughout the works; see Table 3.4 of Section D3.7; and
• an “end of road works” sign (7001/ 645) is also required on the off side, as well as the near side.
Plan DC1: Dual carriageway road, hard shoulder closure only 90m 50m 50m 400m 400m 90m Datum 100m 50m Datum 400m 800m Entry for Works Traffic Exit for Works Traffic C1 A 7001 645 7301 7306 7015 7302 7001 7001.1
Hard Traffic Central shoulder lanes reservation
Keys to the plans are given in Tables A1.4 and A1.5 of Appendix 1.