0:00:02 > 0:00:05232 miles of road,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08carrying over 40 million vehicles a year,
0:00:08 > 0:00:09the M6 is the longest
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and one of the busiest motorways in Britain.
0:00:12 > 0:00:1824/7, 365, the M6 is solid, every day of the year.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Outside Birmingham, it meets four other motorways,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and keeping them running is a constant battle
0:00:24 > 0:00:26for time and resources.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29There are a 101 different jobs on this motorway,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32yet not one motorist is aware of what we do.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38A hidden army of men and women work day and night...
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Have you ever laid down on the M6?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42I have.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44And I've played football on the M25!
0:00:44 > 0:00:45HE LAUGHS
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..whatever the weather.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49On the M5 you'll find your money,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51on the M50 you'll find the porn.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Every day, they set out to control the chaos...
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Wait there!
0:00:58 > 0:00:59HORN BLARES
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Jesus!
0:01:00 > 0:01:03..and to help us when things go wrong.
0:01:03 > 0:01:052-1, can I have an ambo please?
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Trying, at all costs...
0:01:08 > 0:01:10..to keep Britain on the move.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Oh, God! Please! Oh!
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I think my tyre's blown.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18They should call it the Mad 6 instead of the M6!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I need a wee, Mummy!
0:01:36 > 0:01:37Rush hour, on the M6.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39SHE GROANS
0:01:39 > 0:01:41I hate traffic!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I mean, just look at it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46This is every single day I do this, what a nightmare.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Might as well put our brake on and just sit here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53On a good day, 50 minutes,
0:01:53 > 0:01:54on a bad day, a waste of,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and it is, four hours.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Just to let you know, you've got an abnormal load coming down that arm.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Traffic flow across the West Midlands is constantly monitored
0:02:05 > 0:02:09by the Highways Agency regional control centre.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's difficult to call it a rush-hour nowadays.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Between the hours of half past four until about seven thirty,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18we're probably rush two, three hours.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Oh, yes, three lanes of queuing.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27That's what I get stuck in this time of night, it's absolute mental.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32The M6 carries up to 140,000 vehicles a day,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34double the amount it was designed for.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Here we go, look at the nightmare.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39It was never built for this many cars.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It was never built for anywhere near this amount.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Three kilometres of congestion from a five-vehicle RTC.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51In just that stretch alone, you've maybe 5,000 vehicles
0:02:51 > 0:02:53travelling through there at one time.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Probably 50,000 cars, stuck in traffic, in that rush period.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00HE LAUGHS
0:03:00 > 0:03:02It's ridiculous!
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Drivers on the motorway, it's a routine that they do every day
0:03:07 > 0:03:10so that's the way they're going to go, and everybody goes that way.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11So, we're stuck.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26We've just observed an HGV broken down in the running lane there.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31On the ground, a team of traffic officers tries to clear anything
0:03:31 > 0:03:32that might add to the congestion.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Lima two, two.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Two, two, this HGV's suffered an offside rear flat,
0:03:39 > 0:03:40unable to move it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43When things go wrong
0:03:43 > 0:03:47the control centre must decide how best to keep the traffic moving.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49He's going to cause a bit of congestion,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50especially at this time of the day.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Probably looking at 6,000-7,000 vehicles in three lanes
0:03:53 > 0:03:55trying to get past.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Yeah, Rob, if we need a lane one, facilitate this tyre change,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01are you happy for us to put it on?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03They're asking for a lane one closure
0:04:03 > 0:04:05to help getting the HGV moving again.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- RADIO:- 'Yeah, not at this point in time,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10obviously, we've got severely heavy traffic flow,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12'we've got congestion back to, like, junction four
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'so, no, not at the time being, over.'
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Yeah, no probs, thank you.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Just to get one HGV moving would affect hundreds, if not thousands
0:04:23 > 0:04:27of people, so I can't justify putting a lane one on for them.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32It means he's going to have to wait until probably 7pm, until the
0:04:32 > 0:04:36congestion is reduced to an amount where I'm happy for it to go on.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Someone's not happy, either the crew or the driver, or somebody.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46But my aim is just to keep the majority moving on the road.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The M6 is at the heart of Britain's motorway network.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59We're on the highest point of Gravelly Interchange
0:04:59 > 0:05:02in Birmingham, commonly known as Spaghetti Junction.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06This junction here is over the motorway network
0:05:06 > 0:05:09because, where it is, it's the centre of Britain, really.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Got the M6 north and south going directly below us.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Off to my right you've got the Aston Expressway,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the A30, A10, the interchange with the M5,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24or straight on to the north,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Wolverhampton, Walsall, Manchester.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Or onto the M42, or further still onto the M1.
0:05:34 > 0:05:3724/7, 365, the M6
0:05:37 > 0:05:41up through the West Midlands is solid
0:05:41 > 0:05:43every day of the year.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Two, three o'clock in the morning, it's busy.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49You know, it just never stops, ever.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The M6 is now over 40 years old.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57With up to 8,000 vehicles running on it at peak hours,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00the road surface needs constant maintenance.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Repairing the motorway is the job of maintenance company, Amey.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Dave Hawley is one of their project managers.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Oh, every job I complete I take the wife out to look at.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18She'll say, if it rides quite well,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20she'll say, "that's a real nice road surface."
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It's always nice to get praise, especially by the wife, isn't it?
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Dave's next job is a three and a half mile stretch of the M6
0:06:27 > 0:06:31between junction 10 and 10A.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34If you look at the joints between lanes one and two,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37you can see it's widening out and starting to fret,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39so obviously that needs taking out.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43There's also patches where pot holes have been forming.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45And if you look further up the motorway
0:06:45 > 0:06:49there's more pot holes that you see that require repairs.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51The motorway here is in such bad condition,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54that it needs to be completely resurfaced.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58And that means roadworks through the night for four weeks.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01The problem is the traffic flows are so high
0:07:01 > 0:07:03that, if we close the motorway in the daytime, the traffic would
0:07:03 > 0:07:07back up and probably bring the West Midlands to a halt.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10On this project, night work is not the only challenge.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13We've got residential properties right adjacent to the motorway.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17They are going to have some additional noise.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20INTERVIEWER: Is it possible to keep everyone happy?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22We'd like to think it is.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29On Murdock Way, less than 20 metres from the M6,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32neighbours Jim Sargent and Alan Sanders
0:07:32 > 0:07:34have some experience of night-time road works.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38It's just been hectic.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42From 2008, we've had work day and night, 24 hours a day
0:07:42 > 0:07:46for at least two to three years, and it was horrendous.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49When the workmen are on the motorway doing night-time work,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53it's so loud, I mean, you get sleep deprivation.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Friday night they was doing roadworks, all four lanes,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57so Birmingham's at a standstill.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And every time the traffic moved away and the lorries,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03my windows were shaking violently as if we was having a mini earthquake.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05You know, I mean, I'm on sleeping tablets through it.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10First of all, you'll hear the thumping of the cones going down.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13You'll start seeing orange lights flashing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Ten o'clock in the night till four in the morning it's disco time.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Five years ago, Jim and Alan joined forces to make their feelings known
0:08:21 > 0:08:23to the Highways Agency.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27This is a record of everything that we complained against.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31News clippings, truck nightmares...
0:08:31 > 0:08:35We've got the DVD which we took from Downing Street.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39We took a petition, Mr Brown was in power then.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43The Highway's number is logged in my phone.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47I complain two or three times a week sometimes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It's quite a lot and quite a big phone bill, to be honest.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56We're doing the north-bound carriageway and the south-bound
0:08:56 > 0:08:58carriageway of the M6 between junctions 10 and 10A.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Obviously, the main issues are going to be noise
0:09:02 > 0:09:05because we have issues with residents.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Please, in those areas, just keep it...quiet.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Ask the work force to keep their voices down,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and keep the flashing lights to a minimum.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17If plant can move out the area
0:09:17 > 0:09:20so the engines aren't running there, please do it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Dave has already heard from Jim and Alan.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26We've received some correspondence from local residents
0:09:26 > 0:09:29asking if they can have accommodation so they can sleep.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Hello, Mr Sargent?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33With work due to begin in a few hours,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Dave calls Jim to talk over his concerns.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Yeah, there's not a lot of works down by Murdock Way.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- PHONE: I'm still going to have 20 wagons sat outside my house.- Well...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47And I was up with the lights flashing and engines running
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- and everything else.- Yeah.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51- Wh...- I don't want to be kept up on the night.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I know me children are going to be suffering fatigue for school
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and everything else. I'd rather be placed in some accommodation
0:09:57 > 0:10:00when you are working outside my property.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Well, I'll have a drive down there tonight, as well.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Once people hear that a person is being put in a hotel,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07everybody jumps on the band wagon.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16The Birmingham section of the M6 was built in the early 1970s.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26It was designed to provide quick and easy access to the densely populated
0:10:26 > 0:10:29suburbs of Britain's second-largest city.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32But this access came at a price.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Imagine living here.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37It would be horrible, wouldn't it? Eh?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Absolutely horrible.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43And the whole noise, as well. The whole thing bounces.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47You can obviously feel it bouncing, a constant racket.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49That's dreadful, isn't it?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Although, somebody got their washing out there. How brave is that?
0:10:53 > 0:10:58The M6 was built straight through miles of urban housing,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00leaving thousands of people living right next
0:11:00 > 0:11:02to one of the busiest motorways in Europe.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06The reason I've got the curtains up there is so that
0:11:06 > 0:11:09we're just not looking out onto the motorway.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Other than that, we'd be viewing it all the time.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14You know, and it's a bit of a nightmare as it is
0:11:14 > 0:11:15without being viewed.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Mr and Mrs Croak were already living here when the motorway was built.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22We didn't even know anything about it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25As individuals, they never consulted us.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27There was nothing you could do about it, actually,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30cos it was government policy, so consequently you had put your mind
0:11:30 > 0:11:33to it that it wasn't going to interfere with you too much.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36You wanted me to go to Australia, I wouldn't go.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39She'd miss her mum.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40THEY CHUCKLE
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Relations between the motorway network and its neighbours
0:11:48 > 0:11:49aren't always easy.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- So that's the property. - That's the property, yeah.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Very nice.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Bet it was even nicer before they built the M42.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04When local residents complain to the Highways Agency,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08asset manager Matt Taylor investigates.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11There was a light bulb sticking out of the ground.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's the back end of a trailer or, you know.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16That's the indicating lights.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19There is evidence though that we've not been that good
0:12:19 > 0:12:21in our clearing up after the road works.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23There's cones that shouldn't be lying there.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26That's something that we could, erm, improve on.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30You hadn't better go any further cos it's all wet there.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Next on Matt's list are Mr and Mrs Croak.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36This is the hole that's causing all the trouble.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38This has been going on now, constantly,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40for the last three years.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I'll induce the pump.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46The Croak's back garden is flooded, so they've had it excavated.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50They believe the water is coming from drains connected to the M6.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56I mean, that will take about 20 minutes before it empties,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and then it will start, immediately it will start to fill up again.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It takes about three quarters of an hour.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06When it was flooding the garden to such an extent,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I couldn't sleep because I was continually worrying about it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12If the pump packs up, the water comes up the side
0:13:12 > 0:13:14and it'll rest around here.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I want them to come and sort it and rectify it,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and put our garden back how it should be,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26because it was a nice, relaxing place to be,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31but you can't sit in the garden now, all you're doing is looking at this.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Drainage was altered when the M6 went in in the '70s.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40There's a brook nearby and, as part of the works, this brook was
0:13:40 > 0:13:42put into a culvert and it goes underground,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and this is where the flooding in people's gardens is occurring.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52It's a lot of water to have in your garden, isn't it?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- Hiya, is it Mr Croak? - Yes, that's me.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58My name's Matt. So, you're pumping this out everyday, are you?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- Every three quarters of an hour. - Really?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03'I can see why they're anxious about the flooding in the garden.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:05So were you here before the motorway?
0:14:05 > 0:14:06Oh, definitely, yes.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08'This is something that we weren't anticipating,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10'so we've had to look at what we can do'
0:14:10 > 0:14:13to make some money available to go in and have a look at this.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15We'll see what we can do.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17'You've got a finite amount of resource.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'You've got to really prioritise what's the most important,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23'and when you think about the number of people that use our network'
0:14:23 > 0:14:26on a daily basis, if you had a shortage of funding, if you had to go
0:14:26 > 0:14:30for one, you'd probably go for the one which benefits the most people.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The logical first step is to understand the problem.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36When we know what the problem is we can then work on a solution.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38All right, we'll be in touch.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44It's not just budgets that are under pressure.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47The high volume of traffic on the motorway puts stress
0:14:47 > 0:14:49on every aspect of the network.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55£20.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Got in on the dashboard, open up the window,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59as they pull away it flies out.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02There you go, some more money there, look.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Not a bad way to start the day, finding 25 quid.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08On the M5 you'll find your money,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10on the M50 you'll find the porn.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14But it's not all £20 notes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Plastic bags, coffee cups... I don't know what it is,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21but all the drivers appear to be on lots of caffeine.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Or alcohol.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Someone fancied a can of cider before they get home.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35The worst part is when you find the bottles of driver Tizer,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38which is the truck drivers, mainly.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41They piss in a bottle and chuck it over the fence for us to pick up.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46On a shift, I'd say at least 30 bottles.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Either we haven't got enough services,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51or they've just got a fetish for peeing in bottles, I don't know.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I don't know how they do it. I know they've got cruise control
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and whatnot, but I can't imagine it being easy and safe.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Got a bottle of what looks like to be my favourite there -
0:16:02 > 0:16:04proper driver Tizer.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I think he needs to see a doctor.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Some stuff floating around in there. Ugh, disgusting!
0:16:10 > 0:16:12TRUCK HORN BEEPS
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I've got your bottle of piss here, mate!
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Some people do decide it's OK to shit in a bag
0:16:24 > 0:16:26then just lob it out the window.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Ask one of our colleagues back at the depot, he was strimming
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and he strimmed through a bag of human shit and it went all over him.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39If we were to do it properly all the way down,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and get every bit of rubbish, even with a full team of eight blokes,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44you'd be lucky to do a K a day.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47It would take forever.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50You'll start and by the time you've done a few K you'll need
0:16:50 > 0:16:53to start again to get the stuff that's been chucked out the next day.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Tonight, the north-bound carriageway of the M6 is being resurfaced
0:17:06 > 0:17:08between junction 10 and 10A.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15For the safety of the workmen,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18the entire carriageway must be closed before work can begin.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Nobody likes us closing the roads off cos where we close it off,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24they don't actually see where the work's going on.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So, because they can't see where the work's going on
0:17:27 > 0:17:29they think it's all a waste of time.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32So, we're probably the low-lifes of the job.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Members of the public arguing with you, hurling loads of a abuse.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Throwing objects - apple cores, sandwiches,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44er, bottles of piss, believe it or not.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Yeah.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Only last week I was spat on by a lorry driver.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53The first job is to put up signs warning motorists
0:17:53 > 0:17:56that the road ahead is closed, but the motorway is still
0:17:56 > 0:17:59running at full speed and there is only one way across.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09HORN BLARES
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We can go, Luke. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23We going to go for it?
0:18:24 > 0:18:25Yep.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29You only get, like, what is it? Nine seconds to run across there.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Three seconds per lane they say.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Sometimes you only get one and a half with some of these people
0:18:34 > 0:18:37driving along here, cos they don't pay attention
0:18:37 > 0:18:38to the speed limit at all.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I got hit about four, five years ago.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Car came down, went into the back of the cushion.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Another car came down fishing its way through, came down the rib-line,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00caught me and hit me about 15 feet in the air.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Shattered my L2 in my back in three places.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09What goes through your head before you run across?
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I love you, Mum.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21While the police hold back the traffic, the crew blocks off
0:19:21 > 0:19:25lanes two and three so the vehicles can be funnelled into lane one.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34As soon as the cones are out, the police release the traffic.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41To keep the vehicles in lane one, the crew drops a row of cones.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57As they approach the slip road, the crew move across the live lane,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59easing the traffic off the motorway.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05They all know that it's going to be closed, so they'll just try
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and squeeze through any little gap that they can.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Doesn't matter how small the gap is, they will try.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18This is where it gets dangerous.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19Look.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27There's barely enough room for them to manoeuvre around the barrier,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and they're still going to try.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Look how quick they're coming.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36How crazy is that?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Still trying to get through.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40No way.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Jesus.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54I'm glad you experienced that, cos not a lot of people
0:20:54 > 0:20:57experience something like that, and it is ridiculous.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59But that's the life of traffic management.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04But life's not all bad for the traffic management crew.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Have you ever laid down on the M6? I have.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And I've played football on the M25.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Not many people that can say that they've done that.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Closure's on.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19That's it. Fag break.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It's 11pm, and work on the resurfacing project
0:21:27 > 0:21:28is about to begin.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Dave Hawley's come to Murdock Way
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to try and reassure local residents about the noise levels.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It's part of the job, isn't it?
0:21:37 > 0:21:41And we've got to try and resolve it without having the residents
0:21:41 > 0:21:44go to the press or the residents complaining about not having a hotel
0:21:44 > 0:21:48for the night. We've got to try and resolve it amicably.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51On the phone they were both very, very reasonable.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55So, hopefully, if it goes in the same vein, it shouldn't be an issue.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57All right, Mr Sargent?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Jim and Alan have asked the Highways Agency to put them in a hotel
0:22:00 > 0:22:02while the work goes on.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I think with this scheme that we've got now, it's very, very
0:22:04 > 0:22:07short term as far as work outside the property.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12So the HA have basically said no to accommodation for the period...
0:22:12 > 0:22:14This is no good to me, cos my children have got school.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Is this just for tonight?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Can I have everyone's attention, please?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Tonight the resurfacing crew are working a few hundred metres
0:22:21 > 0:22:22from Jim's house.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Try and keep minimal noise down as possible.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It is a sensitive area due to the residents.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32We've spoken to everybody and asked them to be very courteous,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36cut down the noise, lights to a minimum, vehicles in the area
0:22:36 > 0:22:39to a minimum. We've informed everybody that we're trying to reduce
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- the noise for you. - I know you do, yeah, but...
0:22:43 > 0:22:45If I come outside your house and started,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48I turned up 20 metres away from your house, you're going to be
0:22:48 > 0:22:51outside to me saying, "What the hell's going on here?"
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Right, now I'm exactly the same. I pay tax.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03Cos I'm telling you now,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07if my children and my wife are woke up one night, I want accommodation.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Look, you've got about ten vehicles now all parked up here, look.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- This is what you get. - Let's see what they are first.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We had this when they did the tarmacking before,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20we had about 30 vehicles here all parked up,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22looked like a discotheque.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- MACHINERY RATTLES - Here you are. Hark at that tadger!
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I don't know whether you can hear the tadger behind us.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Charlie, I'm by these residents' houses.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Can you find out who's jackhammering south of the bridge?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37There's loads of vehicles parked opposite,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40they look like ones with excavators on the back.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Well, he should have done, if he's had that induction. Move them on.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48We get mad. We get frustrated, then we go on the motorway
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and then we put a stop to you working, and the police come.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Because of stuff like that, it makes, it makes you want
0:23:54 > 0:23:55to go out there and stop it.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00That, right? That'll be wailing through my house now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They've all been inducted and told...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05This has just proved the point, first night.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Right, I'm going home to bed, unfortunately,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I've got a meeting in the morning.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12I don't think it went too badly at all.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15The flashing lights don't seem to have an impact on the properties
0:24:15 > 0:24:18as far as I can see,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20or the noise of the vehicles going past.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23They've obviously got gripes,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26but I think they're, you know, they're prepared to listen.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29They've got no respect for the residents, you know what I mean?
0:24:29 > 0:24:30And he said we don't need a hotel?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Yeah, let him come and stop here the night, then,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and I'll go and sleep in his house.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I'm going to be getting in touch with everyone I can.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I'll shall even get in touch with the press, as well,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and we'll just start kicking it off again.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Cos if that's what they want, if they want to fight,
0:24:44 > 0:24:45then we'll have to fight.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54At junction 10 on the M6, the tarmac gang is ready to start work.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Three and a half miles of an eight-lane motorway
0:24:58 > 0:24:59needs to be resurfaced.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05To complete the job, the gang works on a different section every night
0:25:05 > 0:25:06for four and a half weeks.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Supervisor Matt Gilbert is marking out the area for tonight's work -
0:25:12 > 0:25:16a 620-metre stretch of lane two.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19I should be really skinny, all the walking I do.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20Don't know how I end up so fat.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25It's all going to get ripped out by the plainer,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28then we're going to relay it with fresh tarmac.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30220 tons worth going in this.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Before the new surface can be laid,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38the top 45 millimetres of the old road has to be removed.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42It's called milling. The drum starts spinning,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45material gets smashed up into fine pieces.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50This 40-ton planing machine has a rotating drum
0:25:50 > 0:25:52armed with 168 tungsten picks.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56That piece there. That's a tungsten piece in there.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59That keeps spinning so they cut nice.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03As the drum turns, the picks dig up the road surface into small pieces.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09These pieces are then dumped into a series of empty trucks.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Each one of them, they'll hold 20 ton.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15How long does it take you to fill it up?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Er, probably five minutes.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Once the old road has been torn up, the tarmackers can get to work.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26This should last 10-15 years, easily.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Try to do it well so it lasts a long time,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31so we don't have to come back again.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Fresh tarmac arrives at a temperature
0:26:33 > 0:26:36of up to 180 degrees centigrade.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41The paver spreads the tarmac across the width of the road,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44whilst the driver controls the flow of the material
0:26:44 > 0:26:45to ensure it's evenly spread.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48I take pride in it.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52I like to think that we wouldn't be here if we didn't do a good job.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55SONG: Hot Asphalt
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The new tarmac will help to reduce road noise.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19This tarmac's a lot quieter than the old material.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24If you look in cross section you've got little indents or voids.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27On the old one here, that's well worn, that's fairly smooth
0:27:27 > 0:27:31all the way across so there's no voids between the coarse aggregate.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34On this side you've got voids where the noise goes down into it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41The hardest part of tarmacking the road is smoothing the joints.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It's a skill, it's an art form, raking is.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Takes a lot of practice.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Just tucking the joints in
0:27:49 > 0:27:53to make sure it's going to go nice and flush.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58You can either do it or you can't. Simple as that.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03I learnt from the best, my Dad.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06A lot of family stuff in tarmacking.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Three of my brothers, two in this gang that are here tonight,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11one in a different gang.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Once one gets a job, then you get them all a job.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16A lot of our people in the village, they're all tarmackers.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17It's only a small village.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33The motorway never sleeps.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Just as the daytime traffic is winding down,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39a new night-time rush hour begins.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43All these parcel lorries here that you can see travelling up here now,
0:28:43 > 0:28:44there's hundreds of them.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Within ten minutes you count 20 or 30.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48- Oh, easily, easily.- You do.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52The M6 is one of the country's busiest trucking routes.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55At night, thousands of lorries take advantage of quieter roads
0:28:55 > 0:28:58to carry goods to different corners of the country.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Another one there.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- There's another one. - Hundreds of them.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05There you go, another one.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- DHL again.- DHL again.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Not so many years ago, you'd want something,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15you'd have to order it from a shop and wait.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Now you press a button
0:29:16 > 0:29:20and virtually anything you can think of will be delivered to you.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24A pair of shoes, new kitchen sink, taps, Sellotape,
0:29:24 > 0:29:25it all comes through the post.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Lingerie.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Don't we take it for granted when it's absolutely amazing, isn't it?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I do wonder if in 10, 20, well, 30,
0:29:33 > 0:29:3640 years there will be shops.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Will there even be money, Ken?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Ken and Daryl aren't the only people keeping an eye
0:29:45 > 0:29:47on the nightly flow of trucks.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Can you ask him if he can do a drive by and see
0:29:49 > 0:29:51if it is the vehicle that we're interested in?
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- RADIO:- Vehicle looks Belgian to me.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Okey doke, we'll have that then.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Anything's worth having a look at at this time of night.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05A team of vehicle safety inspectors employed by the Department
0:30:05 > 0:30:10for Transport pulls lorries off the motorway for surprise inspections.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13There are certain vehicles on our roads that
0:30:13 > 0:30:16I would not want to be travelling too closely in front of.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Brake pads missing, insecure and damaged caliper,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23there isn't any brake pads on that one at all.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Strapped up axle, so rather than them stopping to repair it
0:30:26 > 0:30:30they've literally lifted the axle up and strapped it up and carried on.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Red hot brake disc, you can actually see it.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- It's literally glowing red. - Ready to go on fire.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Inspector Dave Tinsley has found a French lorry with a brake problem.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49There's indications on the dash telling me there's an EBS fault.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52It's the primary breaking system on this vehicle
0:30:52 > 0:30:56and that's in red, on the dash, clear, plain to see.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59His intention would be to go home, probably have it looked at it
0:30:59 > 0:31:01when he gets there.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Unfortunately he's not going to get that far now.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07For the braking problem, it's a £100 fixed penalty.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Visa card or a Mastercard?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16The M6 carries trucks from all over Europe.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18There's not many places where they don't come from.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22So we've got Hungary here, Germany, a lot of Germans.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Portugal you get a lot from there.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Fresh produce, your lettuces, your oranges, apples, fruit.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34The team isn't just looking for mechanical faults.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Some of these have got restricted views to the front.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39You can have a pedestrian stood eight foot away
0:31:39 > 0:31:40from the front of that vehicle
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and the driver physically would be incapable of seeing them.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46There's another view to the front.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49If your kids are crossing over at a school crossing or, you know,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52God forbid, you've got one of them to cross at that crossing...
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Just seen the car and he's drove past him
0:31:57 > 0:32:00and he says he can see that the laptop's open and it's shining
0:32:00 > 0:32:02so it's obviously turned on on the dashboard.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04OK, you speak English?
0:32:04 > 0:32:05- Yeah, a little bit.- OK.
0:32:05 > 0:32:11The reason you have been brought in here is because the laptop is open.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14It's on the dashboard and you can see it,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17and your driver can see it because I can see it from here.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23What film is it that's on there? What's the film called?
0:32:23 > 0:32:25A 1970s...serial, you know.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Oh, a serial.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Before you leave here, that will be removed,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32and there will be a penalty.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35It's one of my favourites, to be honest with you, a laptop,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37because I consider it to be very dangerous.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I think I can multitask, I'm very good at it, I think,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42but I couldn't drive this and watch a film at the same time.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Somehow he's got this far doing it.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49First time, you know, this.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51It doesn't matter, it's very dangerous.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56And it's not just... This is European law, this isn't UK law.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59European law, this is.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02All over Europe - France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, all the same.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05No laptop, no film.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Everyone who works on the motorway
0:33:12 > 0:33:14must ake their turn on the night shift.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Are we up on that, Andy? Are we up on that mark?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But with so many vehicles on the M6 during the day,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30the tarmackers often work at night.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34We're watching them going home while we're still working away.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37It's hard, to be fair.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40You obviously get up, you don't know when to have breakfast
0:33:40 > 0:33:42or dinner, you know.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46You're all over the place with how you eat and it is hard.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Home all day on your own, aren't you?
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Missus comes in and you go out.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53No, I find it quite hard.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55You want to be at home with the little one
0:33:55 > 0:33:58but you've got to go out and earn the bread. Simple as that.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02- My little girl's one. How old's yours?- Three.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Yours is three.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Yeah. It ain't easy this, is it?
0:34:05 > 0:34:08I spend more time with him than I do my missus,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10we may as well get married!
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Tonight, Matt has brought something for the gang to cheer them up.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18I'm the master chef. There's the two quiches I made.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23One's bacon and caramelised onion, and mine's mushroom and bacon
0:34:23 > 0:34:25because that's my favourite.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Hey up, here's quiche man. Got any quiche?
0:34:29 > 0:34:33That's for you lot. Would you like a piece?
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Tarmac enhances the taste of food.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40I love the smell of tarmac, some people hate it.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Gorgeous, that.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Do you like it? Good, isn't it?
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Yeah, I think I'm famous for my quiche.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14For the last three years,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17the Croaks' back garden has been flooded.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22They believe the problem is linked to a drainage system
0:35:22 > 0:35:25that was put in when the M6 was built.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29Highways Agency asset manager Matt Taylor has sent
0:35:29 > 0:35:32a survey team to find out what's going on.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35What's going to be the biggest headache would be
0:35:35 > 0:35:41if the solution involved extensive works and putting in new drains.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44But if it was just a blockage that can be removed,
0:35:44 > 0:35:48obviously that's a much quicker and easier solution for everybody.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52One possibility is simply that nearby tree roots
0:35:52 > 0:35:54are blocking the drainage pipe.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57We're going to do a survey first to see what the actual issue is,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00what's causing the problems and then, hopefully,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02if it is roots, we'll cut it out.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Starting to get a bit thicker now.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19There you go. I don't think you'll get much further than that.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Looking at the root ingress that we've got upstream,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25we'll need the root cut out wherever it goes
0:36:25 > 0:36:27and try and get that water flowing.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31They're sending this jet through to try
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and bring all of the roots out into the chamber and be sucked away.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38We're also getting rid of the silt in there.
0:36:38 > 0:36:4148 years, they've never had a problem until that was built.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46The Croak's local councillor, Councillor Dring, has come
0:36:46 > 0:36:47to make sure the survey team
0:36:47 > 0:36:49understand what they're dealing with.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51I see, yeah.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54You say that water's this high in the summer, as well?
0:36:54 > 0:36:55Yeah, it just keeps coming up.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Yeah there's a bit of silt in there
0:36:57 > 0:37:00but not enough to really be causing that much of a problem.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02I'm not an engineer, but common sense tells me
0:37:02 > 0:37:05- that there's something radically wrong.- Oh, yeah.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- And it's got to be sorted. - Mm-hmm.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10We've got a duty of care to the Croaks.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Yeah, there's some root in that run,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16but I can't see how it's going to be causing that much of a problem.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21What we've seen in here, this chamber's flowing fine,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24so, if the issue was downstream of here I'd expect this chamber
0:37:24 > 0:37:27to have a water level in it, which it doesn't,
0:37:27 > 0:37:32so I would assume that the issue is this way, going into the gardens.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34I think there's a collapsed pipe in the back garden.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39It's having a big impact on them and they want to try and move
0:37:39 > 0:37:43eventually, but they can't until this blight has been sorted out.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46And it is a blight on the property.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Would you buy a house with this in the bottom of the garden?
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I declare this motorway open!
0:37:57 > 0:38:01The Birmingham section of the M6 opened in 1972.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05'Motorway systems, if properly planned,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07'relieve the congestion of our towns and cities
0:38:07 > 0:38:11'and enable transport of people and goods to take place
0:38:11 > 0:38:13'efficiently and pleasantly.'
0:38:15 > 0:38:17The new motorway was part of a plan for the future
0:38:17 > 0:38:22in which high speed road networks would revolutionise urban travel.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Cars were sold on freedom then, and that's what they still sell them on.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33You look at the amount of adverts and you'll see cars winding
0:38:33 > 0:38:36round mountain roads - you never see another car, do you?
0:38:36 > 0:38:40The ads all portray this wonderful, wahey, here we go!
0:38:40 > 0:38:42Big smiles on their faces.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45And you look across here, I can't see anybody smiling across here.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47They're all fed up.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Today, there are five times more vehicles on the motorway
0:38:54 > 0:38:56than there were when it opened.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00What you do here, for example, when it's an elevated section,
0:39:00 > 0:39:0230 foot above the community - what can you do?
0:39:02 > 0:39:05You can't do anything else. You can't add bits onto it.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Ten years ago, in an attempt to solve this problem,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12the government commissioned a private company to build
0:39:12 > 0:39:15and operate another brand new motorway - the M6 Toll.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21This is the M6 in orange, and this is the M6 toll
0:39:21 > 0:39:23in the light blue,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26which takes you around this congested area around here,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the Spaghetti junction, M5, M6,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31so you've got the option to use the M6 toll.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39It's nice. It's actually a pleasure to drive up here.
0:39:39 > 0:39:40Tell you what, Ken, look at this.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44No rubbish, no nothing, it's, you know, it's the ideal road
0:39:44 > 0:39:46to be on, isn't it?
0:39:46 > 0:39:47It seems to be in lovely nick, doesn't it?
0:39:49 > 0:39:52I've never, ever seen the toll busy or congested.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56It's a quicker option, obviously, but you have to pay for it.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Built at a cost of £900 million,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05the M6 toll charges an entry fee of £5.50 per car.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Be careful I don't get on the toll,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I've been on there twice already by accident.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Because, not only do you get lost,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17you also have to pay for the privilege.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21That just rounds off a thrill-packed afternoon, that does, I can tell you.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Not only does it take me to somewhere I don't want to be,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26I have to pay to get off it.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29You do get a lot of the sportier models on here.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Another BM, look.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Another one.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Audi. BMW.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37I tell you what, let's play a game.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Let's spot the ordinary car
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and wonder why they're on here.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45How much does it cost to go on the toll, though?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Cos last time you were, like...
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Borrowing money off everyone because I hadn't got enough!
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Why do they charge to get on the motorway, though, why?
0:40:53 > 0:40:54Why?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Yeah, why?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Because the government want more money!
0:40:59 > 0:41:00I don't know.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It's not doing the job it was built for.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07It should be reducing the congestion around the Birmingham box
0:41:07 > 0:41:09and helping, you know, people get round it.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13With M6 congestion still on the rise,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17the Highways Agency has come up with a radical new solution.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21They've called it Smart Motorway.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25- What's Smart? - Smart Motorway now, isn't it?
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Keep changing the name of it. Don't know why.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33Managed motorways, and now they've renamed it to Smart Motorways
0:41:33 > 0:41:36because it sounds better than Managed Motorways, I think.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39BBMM.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41What does that stand for?
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Birmingham Box Managed Motorway.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46At busy times, the Highways Agency will increase
0:41:46 > 0:41:51the capacity of the road by opening the hard shoulder as a live lane.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Each lane's got a signal above it.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57If it's showing a speed limit on it then you can use that lane
0:41:57 > 0:42:00underneath that sign. But if it's not showing anything
0:42:00 > 0:42:03you can only use the three lanes that are available to use at 70 mph.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06The hard shoulder will then stay as a hard shoulder.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07It's going to ease congestion.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09If you've got four lanes running instead of three,
0:42:09 > 0:42:12it's going to ease congestion. That's just a fact.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16When all four lanes are running, the hard shoulder will be replaced
0:42:16 > 0:42:19by a series of pull-ins for vehicles that break down.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22I do like a hard shoulder.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I just think if anything happens to my car and I've got to stop
0:42:25 > 0:42:29for any reason, that bit there, it's like in my mind that I need...
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I've got somewhere to go over to.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35A massive programme of roadworks is underway to convert
0:42:35 > 0:42:38the Birmingham section of the M6 into a Smart Motorway.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44There's always something going on, it never ever seems to finish.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47But the bottlenecks are the actual roadworks now,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50which are never-ending.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53During these works, the hard shoulder is blocked off,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56so in many places drivers are already adjusting
0:42:56 > 0:42:57to life without it.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59RUMBLING
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Oh, what's going on? What's that noise?
0:43:01 > 0:43:04- What is that noise? - What is that noise?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Is that my car?
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- Yeah, I think it is. - It is.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11We're going to have to pull in.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Oh, no, where am I going? See, where's me...?
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Oh, I feel sick. Oh, no!
0:43:19 > 0:43:20Oh, I do. Oh, God!
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Help, help! I think my tyre's blown.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28Oh, God, please. Oh!
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Oh, God, I'm going to cause a pile up.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Put your hazards on.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Yeah, I've got them on, haven't I? Where are they?
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Oh, God, I feel sick.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48I just knew this was going to happen.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54Problem is, people aren't educated enough with it.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57If you don't use it regular, you're not going to fully understand it.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01Don't, don't, don't!
0:44:01 > 0:44:02I'm going to have to, Paige.
0:44:04 > 0:44:05I'm panicking.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09No, look, I haven't got far to go as long as I'm just off there.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13Oh, Lord! No, no, no.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Come past me, come past me, please come past me.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Oh, you silly lady, I've got my hazards on.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25I'm nearly off now, don't you worry.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28I'm going to tweet this.
0:44:28 > 0:44:29Oh thanks, Paige(!)
0:44:29 > 0:44:31I'm being tweeted. You're that worried.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34- Do you feel better now, Mum?- Yeah.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41I have just rang someone but they said they'd be an hour.
0:44:41 > 0:44:42It's all right, it's free recovery,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45- you want to just come to the side, yeah?- Yeah.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51The free recovery man is just here moving me off the motorway.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55I could've just moved over to the hard shoulder
0:44:55 > 0:44:57and I've felt a lot better,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01but because I've got nowhere to move, I've got no manoeuvre...
0:45:01 > 0:45:03And it was three lanes and that was it.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06So, really, they need a hard shoulder.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11But work on Smart Motorway is in full swing.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14At junction six, the cones are coming off,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17ready to open the next section for the first time.
0:45:21 > 0:45:26Ten miles away at junction 10, Dave Hawley has been trying
0:45:26 > 0:45:30hard to keep local residents happy while his team resurfaces the M6.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34He's had some bad news.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36"Anger at late night noise from M6 works.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40"Locals have been complaining of booming noise and flashing lights
0:45:40 > 0:45:43"from lorries from workmen resurfacing the carriageway."
0:45:43 > 0:45:47There is some noise, but I wouldn't class it as being "booming".
0:45:47 > 0:45:49Or "horrendous".
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Well, obviously we don't want bad publicity.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55I've tried to explain to the people, the residents,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58what we're doing, what mitigation measures we're taking.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00I can't do any more than that.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Yeah, I'm disappointed with the article.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09For two weeks the works have been taking place along a three
0:46:09 > 0:46:12and a half mile stretch of the M6, but for five nights
0:46:12 > 0:46:15they'll be right outside the residents' houses.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18So Dave has hired an independent noise expert to find out
0:46:18 > 0:46:21how loud they really are.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23What we're looking to do is monitor the noise
0:46:23 > 0:46:26over a sensitive time, which is the evening
0:46:26 > 0:46:30and comparing the noise of the evening traffic with the noise
0:46:30 > 0:46:34that would be generated when they're laying the new road surface.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49I spoke to one of the local residents prior to tonight
0:46:49 > 0:46:53just to say that we'll be working adjacent to his property.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56I wouldn't say they welcomed it.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58'Hello, John speaking. How can I help?'
0:46:58 > 0:47:03Hello, John, my name is Mr Sargent. I've got a complaint.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05NOISE OF ENGINES
0:47:05 > 0:47:09If I was a newt, or a badger or anything like that,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12or a snail from Italy, they'd move me,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14they'd reposition me somewhere, and that's all I'm asking for.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Looks like another planer, I don't know.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24It could be a planer or it could be the roadsweeper.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31Now if this was summer and you wanted your windows open,
0:47:31 > 0:47:33could you sleep through that?
0:47:33 > 0:47:35HUM OF ENGINES
0:47:35 > 0:47:36I couldn't sleep through that.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39If you live next to a motorway you've got to expect some
0:47:39 > 0:47:42maintenance work on the motorway at some stage or other.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46It's a little bit of inconvenience for a very short period of time.
0:47:47 > 0:47:52I've been with enough people whose lives have been wrecked by noise.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Sometimes it's not the continuous noise,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59it's the sudden changes of noise that affects people.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01He's stopped work at the moment.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05He's out there and then started up like a U boat.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07It's like a war game.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10He's gone in silent mode
0:48:10 > 0:48:12and they're just lying in wait.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16They're waiting quietly for me to make my next move.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Alan, I don't understand, what move could you make?
0:48:21 > 0:48:23What move could I...?
0:48:23 > 0:48:28Well, I could phone the 24-hour hotline and report them
0:48:28 > 0:48:31which I have done in the past, you know.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Or, er...
0:48:34 > 0:48:38I'll just leave it till in the morning and then I'll phone my MP
0:48:38 > 0:48:40and then I'll get him to sort it out for me.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43It can feel to some people like a torture, it's awful.
0:48:43 > 0:48:44You can't get away from it.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46You can't escape the noise, That's the problem.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50It ain't nice. It ain't good for your health.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53It makes you depressed. It gets you stressed and everything.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03Local resident Jim has also been keeping tabs on the noise levels.
0:49:03 > 0:49:08We've purchased a sound monitor from a well-known store.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10This is what we recorded.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12This is where it's starting to go up.
0:49:12 > 0:49:17It actually goes up to 119.2 decibels.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20But we'll have a little test how.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22HE SHOUTS
0:49:24 > 0:49:27And that's 102.3 decibels.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31If someone's doing that while you're asleep in your ear hole,
0:49:31 > 0:49:35it's going to wake you up and you're going to get really angry over it.
0:49:38 > 0:49:43I just want them to believe us and to understand that it is unbearable.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Dave has had the results back from his own noise monitoring.
0:49:52 > 0:49:57At six o'clock at night, the decibels are around about 75 average.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01Ten o'clock, when we close the motorway, and the average there is 71
0:50:01 > 0:50:04and we started work round about 70.
0:50:04 > 0:50:09Well, it shows that our noise levels are comparable or slightly less
0:50:09 > 0:50:12than what you get with a normal running motorway.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18You've got to get that algae off.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Mr and Mrs Croak are waiting to find out what the Highways Agency
0:50:22 > 0:50:25plans to do about their flooded garden.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27That's awful slimy today, isn't it?
0:50:27 > 0:50:30I worry about him getting too near to the edge
0:50:30 > 0:50:32because he did go in the one time.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Their local councillor has been in touch with asset manager
0:50:35 > 0:50:36Matt Taylor.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39'I'm concerned about how pathetically slow you have been'
0:50:39 > 0:50:41in dealing with the problems of Mr and Mrs Croak.'
0:50:41 > 0:50:44There is a substantial failure
0:50:44 > 0:50:47of the drains underneath all of the gardens.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50The solution is going to be a quite a large job.
0:50:50 > 0:50:55Fixing the collapsed pipe will cost £43,000.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58It will just have to go into competition with all
0:50:58 > 0:51:00the other schemes that we've got for funding.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04The pressure's on us all, that we've got to provide a network that's safe,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08that's free-flowing, and that can facilitate growth
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and that's why a scheme like this is going to be a little bit difficult
0:51:11 > 0:51:14because it doesn't really tick any of those boxes.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Matt now has to call the councillor and let her know where things stand.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Giving you a call to give you an update about what's been going on
0:51:22 > 0:51:24with Mr and Mrs Croak.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Now, there's a number of things that could have happened
0:51:26 > 0:51:27to cause it to have blocked.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30The worst case scenario would be it's collapsed.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32'So Mr Croak's just paying the penalty of what's happened
0:51:32 > 0:51:34- 'further along?'- Yeah.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- 'Timescale - that's what's important to me.'- Yeah.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38'What I'm looking for now is action.'
0:51:38 > 0:51:41That's what I've got to try and get it through.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43I've got to promote it against other schemes
0:51:43 > 0:51:45and make sure that this comes out as one of the priorities.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49'Why should it go forward in a pool when it's a stand-alone case?'
0:51:49 > 0:51:52I'm going to explore various ways of getting it funded.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56There are some new ways that are specifically for schemes like this
0:51:56 > 0:51:59which don't have a great benefit to the network but need doing.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01'You're not going to put it in the pool?
0:52:01 > 0:52:03'You're going to do it stand-alone?'
0:52:03 > 0:52:06We'll give this a good go and try and get this funded ASAP.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10- All right, thank you very much. Keep in touch. Cheers, bye.- 'Bye.'
0:52:11 > 0:52:14They are a priority because they live next door to our network
0:52:14 > 0:52:16and they're a customer of ours.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18We'll do it. We'll find a way.
0:52:20 > 0:52:21Have to.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27I'd just like a closure to it.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It's been a long time now
0:52:29 > 0:52:31and we've had enough.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36You know, you just take it for granted that you can use
0:52:36 > 0:52:39the motorway and you don't appreciate what people
0:52:39 > 0:52:42underneath the motorway are suffering.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45We wish to God we had moved.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53In the end, Matt did find the money to repair the drains,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56so the flood in the Croaks' garden should soon be gone.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05At Junction 10, the new road surface is finished.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12All that's left is for the tarmac technician to make sure
0:53:12 > 0:53:13the work is up to scratch.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17This test has to be done at a walking speed.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19This is a three-metre rolling straight edge.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24If there's any irregularities in the road...
0:53:24 > 0:53:25MACHINE BEEPS
0:53:25 > 0:53:28..the central wheel will pick it up.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32It's got to be a nice, smooth surface for the driver.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36It's a nice smooth surface for them. It's a nice drive.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40You know, bouncing up and down on a road, it's not a nice experience.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50250 metres.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53Smooth as a baby's bum.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57A lot of people get upset, don't they, with the road works?
0:53:57 > 0:54:00We've closed the M6,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03but tomorrow when they come back down it's nice and smooth,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07they'll think, "Oh yeah, that's different. That's nicer."
0:54:12 > 0:54:17It's time for Dave Hawley to try out the new, quieter road surface.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Just coming up to the new road surface any minute now.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Just coming onto it now.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Can you notice the difference in quietness? It's quite considerable.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37We're on the old again now.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39And we're back on the new now.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Very short stretch of old coming up.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Noisier again.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46And back onto the quiet.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Quite an important job, isn't it, to get it right?
0:54:48 > 0:54:52Providing a good quality finished product.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55It's a pity sometimes that we don't get letters off people
0:54:55 > 0:54:59thanking us a bit more for what we've provided.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02We do get some but, obviously,
0:55:02 > 0:55:04it would be nice to get a few more come in.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14What do you think of that tarmac down there?
0:55:14 > 0:55:16- It don't make no difference.- No.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20The five weeks that they worked here turned our lives upside down again.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25They've done a good job, don't get me wrong, for the drivers.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Would it be fair to say it's become a bit of an obsession for you?
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Yeah, yeah. It's...
0:55:35 > 0:55:38I've got... I don't know.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41OMD?
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Obsessive motorway disorder?
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I don't know. I've got something.
0:55:51 > 0:55:56On the M6, a new section of smart motorway is ready to be opened.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01You do get a good response when it opens because you can see the
0:56:01 > 0:56:03actual difference between the congestion of it,
0:56:03 > 0:56:06it was non-existent.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12They will now change and you'll get four speeds across the actual
0:56:12 > 0:56:16carriageway showing the public they can use the hard shoulder.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19As soon as you're ready we can start opening them up.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Echo 22, go ahead.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Yeah, g'day, mate. Yeah, I'm all yours, mate.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26'You beauty.'
0:56:26 > 0:56:27It's showing on the road now.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31All the links through the junction are showing 60s now.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36We're open. Six to seven.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Four lanes running.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43There we go, we've actually got four lanes running.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48So what I'll do now is I'll get over there and see if anybody follows us.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- Shall we do it?- Yeah, cos there's no one on it yet. 60 mph.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55This is momentous, isn't it?
0:56:55 > 0:56:59- HGV's seen us in lane one, he's gone straight onto it, as well.- Bang.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02And I would imagine that's our first customer.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07I think it's major areas, major built-up areas,
0:57:07 > 0:57:09this is the future of the motorway.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22When you look back in a couple of years
0:57:22 > 0:57:25and see whether it actually, in reality, eased it,
0:57:25 > 0:57:30or if the economy picks up more, we put more cars onto the network
0:57:30 > 0:57:34and go back to having four lanes of standing traffic instead of three.
0:57:34 > 0:57:35A lot of it is elevated.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38There's just no scope to widen it again
0:57:38 > 0:57:40unless you build another one alongside it,
0:57:40 > 0:57:43but who's going to want that, who's going to put up with it
0:57:43 > 0:57:45and who could afford that?
0:57:45 > 0:57:47They build another motorway on top of that one on stilts
0:57:47 > 0:57:49like Spaghetti Junction.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53It may happen. Have a motorway on top of that.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56On stilts. If that's the case, I'm off.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59Next time...
0:57:59 > 0:58:01There's the rain. Marvellous.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05..the motorway faces the stormiest winter in over 40 years.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07You will get incidents, you'll get accidents.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12The M50's flooded. The M54 we've had vehicles left the carriageway.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15You name it, it's happened.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19Chaos, mate. Trees are falling down left, right and centre.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22Can anybody help me put some cones out, please?
0:58:22 > 0:58:25Last thing I was expecting today
0:58:25 > 0:58:28was 60-foot conifers across the carriageway.