Roadworks relief

Around 365 miles of works will be completed this week and 95 miles will be suspended between Friday August 26 and Monday August 29, providing extra capacity for holiday traffic. The Agency’s traffic officers will be patrolling the network to help traffic flow smoothly – and a range of information services will be provided to allow road users to plan their journeys.

Roads Minister, Mike Penning, said: “The main holiday routes have been busy throughout the school holidays and the Highways Agency has worked hard to keep these flowing – as well as providing live traffic updates from its control centres.

“For the bank holiday weekend, we are completing or lifting roadworks to provide extra lane capacity and help even further. Ninety-nine percent of motorways and trunk roads in England will be clear of roadworks, meaning more lanes will be open and many speed restrictions lifted.”

The Agency provides live traffic information via its website – www.highways.gov.uk/traffic – local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms, such as the iPhone.

The Agency also now provides live traffic information via the Twitter micro-blogging website, including special channels for key holiday routes. One-hundred-and-eleven sets of roadworks will be completed ahead of the bank holiday traffic. A further 23 sets of roadworks and lane restrictions will be removed by 6am on Friday and will not be put back before the early hours of Tuesday morning.

At 22 locations, lane restrictions or temporary speed limits will need to remain in place for the safety of drivers and their passengers. Details are on the Highways Agency website.