REMINDER: M1 REPAIRWORK TO BRIDGE OVER RIVER OUZEL TRIBUTARY
Waterproofing and concrete repairs are being carried out to the bridge over the River Ouzel tributary at Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire. A variable contraflow system providing three lanes in both directions will be in place on Wednesday 5 November and continue through to Monday 8 December. During this period, over six separate nights (9.30pm and 5.00am) traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction to enable the safe switching of the contraflow. A mandatory speed restriction of 50mph will be in place on both carriageways during the entire programme of works.
Furthermore, vehicles carrying abnormal loads will be prohibited from travelling on the M1 J13 to J14 until Wednesday 26 November to enable extensive repairs to be undertaken to the bridge deck.
Safety at roadworks
The Highways Agency is working with the industry and road users to reduce the risks of working on the roads. For the safety of roadworkers and all road users, when you are approaching roadworks:
* Keep within the speed limit - it is there for your safety.
* Get into the correct lane in good time - don’t keep switching.
* Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks.
* Be alert for works’ traffic leaving or entering roadworks.
* Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front.
* Observe all signs - they are there to help you.
ONGOING WORK:
M1 J6A TO J10 WIDENING - CLOSURE OF PUNCH BOWL LANE
Reconstruction and lighting work requires the closure of Punch Bowl Lane, a small side road running underneath the M1 near Hemel Hempstead / St Albans in Hertfordshire, for four weeks from Monday, 6 October.
The work is being carried out under the main carriageway where Punch Bowl Lane runs underneath the motorway. Traffic on the M1 itself will not be affected as this is not a junction.
The project to widen the M1 between J6a and J10 is progressing well and is set to be completed by the end of the year.
Drivers are reminded of the speed restrictions between junctions 9 and 10:
* Traffic on the M1 north of Junction 9 is now subject to the national limit of 70mph. Traffic is leaving the roadworks and travelling on the finished motorway layout so it is appropriate to increase the speed limit to the national limit.
* The 70mph limit southbound into the scheme has been extended to just past Junction 10, where it will reduce to 50mph. By keeping the speed limit on the southbound four-lane section at 50mph, this will help traffic flow into the three-lane section below Junction 9 where work is continuing and therefore minimise congestion.
During the day three reduced width lanes on the M1 are open to traffic in both directions. Overnight the M1 may be reduced to one lane in each direction and junctions closed. Motorists are advised to pay special attention to the roadworks signs and get into the correct contra-flow lane early to minimise delays.
Drivers are reminded to drive safely through the roadworks and leave extra time for their journeys.
M1 - BRIDGE SAFETY SCHEME, BEDFORDSHIRE
A £2.6m scheme to replace concrete bridge parapets and improve safety of bridges at four locations over the M1 in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire is expected to be complete by end of January 2009.
At times during the course of the works there will be lane closures overnight on the M1 beneath each bridge on both the northbound and southbound carriageways in order to safeguard roadworkers and the road user.
The scheme will improve the Broughton/Salford Road bridge in Bedfordshire, the Flore to Brockhall Road bridge, Watling Street to Brookhall Road bridge and the Brockhall private access bridge, all in Northamptonshire. While the work is taking place there will be a lane closures on the Broughton/Salford Road bridge controlled by temporary traffic lights and a 40mph speed restriction.
The remaining two public road bridges will be closed for the duration of the works and clearly signed diversion routes put in place. The private bridge will also be temporarily closed.
The work will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the bridges themselves. On the M1, lane closures will be in place on Monday to Thursday between 11pm and 5am, on Fridays between 11pm and 6am, on Saturdays between 10pm and 8am and on Sundays from midnight to 5am.
M11 - TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE
Work is nearing completion on the major scheme to provide better information for drivers on the M11. Electronic message signs and a queue protection system to warn drivers of slower traffic ahead have been installed between Junction 6 (M25) and Junction 8 (Stansted) in Essex. CCTV coverage will also help Traffic Officers deal with incidents more quickly.
The work covers 15 miles of the M11 from one mile south of Junction 6 (M25) to two miles north of Junction 8 (Stansted). All the signs have now been installed in the verges.
Testing and commissioning of the electronic systems is in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of October. There will be some short hardshoulder closures, on both carriageways, for finishing works on the motorway verges.
A5 - IMPROVEMENTS TO A5 IN DUNSTABLE, BEDFORDSHIRE
A package of improvements to provide increased traffic capacity at the junction of the A5 London Road and Beech Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire started in September and will continue until March 2009.
The £1m scheme at The Gateway is being funded by ICP Commercial Ltd as part of its development opposite Beech Road. The work is taking place at the junction with the A5 to improve the existing layout.
Improvements to the junction include carriageway widening, the reconstruction of footways and the re-alignment of a bus stop lay-by. The traffic signals at the Beech Road junction and the streetlights will be replaced and the existing pedestrian crossing will be relocated to the new traffic signals at the junction.
The work will take place between 7.30am and 5.30pm on weekdays, on Saturday mornings and some work may also be carried out in the evenings.
No work will take place in the carriageway during peak hours. All work on the scheme will be lifted for the two-week Christmas holiday period.
There will be a temporary 30mph speed limit in place with a vehicle width restriction of 3 metres from 160 metres northwest to 120 metres southeast of the Beech Road junction (approximately a quarter of a mile).
The work will also involve some lane closures at night with temporary traffic signals and the temporary closure of the bus stop lay-by.
A14 J44 TO J 45 - CONSTRUCTION OF MOBILE VMS SITE
Work to construct a hard-standing location for the deployment of a mobile VMS (variable messaging system) between J44 and J45 of the A14 (Rougham) is being carried out overnight until mid-October.
All work will be Monday to Friday, from 8pm to 6am. During working hours approximately 0.5 miles (0.8km) of lane 1 of the A14 westbound carriageway will be closed, just to the west of J45 Rookery Crossroads, to ensure the safety of the workforce.
A14 - HAUGHLEY NEW STREET TO STOWMARKET IMPROVEMENTS
Both lanes of the new carriageways opened on Monday, 1 September. The 40mph speed limit has now been removed. The new junction 49 at Tot Hill is open for access to local businesses and Haughley village. The junction at Fishponds Way is open and the junction is controlled by four-way vehicle activated traffic lights giving access to Tot Hill Intersection. Access is not possible to Stowmarket from Tot Hill while the remaining slip road is being constructed. It is expected to open at the end of October.
The junctions at Haughley New Street and Quarries Cross remain closed, but once Quarries Cross is reopened in early October, Fishponds Way will then close for reconfiguration of the junction to take place.
The section of Bury Road by the Household Waste Recycling Centre is being converted into a two way road, and will be open for two-way traffic at the end of October.
The old section of the A14 will now have the westbound carriageway converted into a two-way road for local traffic and the old eastbound carriageway converted into a facility for non motorised users.
The slip road on to the A14 westbound from Chilton Way, Stowmarket, is permanently closed to all traffic with no access to the A14. Clearly signed diversion routes are in place, directing traffic via Gipping Way to join the A14 at Junction 50. The new connection from Stowmarket to the A14 will be via Tot Hill junction and will be available when changes to Bury Road adjacent to the Household Waste Recycling Centre are completed. Traffic can travel to the recycling centre but no further until works are complete.
Work is now taking place to complete the new access road for Shepherds Farm House and Woodside Farm that will run parallel to the A14 from the existing Chilton Way. When the road improvement scheme is complete, there will be no direct access from Chilton Way and Shepherd’s Lane to the A14. However, drivers will be able to use the new junction at Tot Hill to access local roads.
Haughley Road is now open to traffic under traffic management conditions with temporary traffic lights, providing access between Harleston and the A14 along the old westbound section of A14 to the intersection at Tot Hill, or to Haughley via Fishponds Way.
Other restrictions to access roads remain, as follows:
No access to A14 from Haughley New Street and The Folly, eastbound
No access from The Folly to Harleston across the A14 at Quarries Cross
A47 HONINGHAM JUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS (NORWICH)
Work to improve Honingham Junction on the A47 near Norwich started in September. A new roundabout is being constructed at the junction with Mattishall Road and street lighting installed.
The A47 will remain open during the work but Mattishall Road will be closed for four weeks from early November to early December - exact dates to be confirmed.
A temporary 40 mph speed limit will be in place on the A47 for the duration of the work, which will be carried out 6am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. There will be periods of overnight working, which will require a 10mph speed restriction and temporary traffic lights.
When Mattishall Road is closed traffic will follow a very short local diversion via Berry’s Lane. Traffic remaining on the A47 will not be affected.
The project is expected to last until mid-March 2009 subject to the weather over the winter period. Work will be suspended over the Christmas period from the 19 December to the 5 January.
