East of England roadworks update: Monday 11 – Sunday 16 January 2010
A1 WYBOSTON, BEDFORDSHIRE, LIGHTING REFURBISHMENT SCHEME
A £2m scheme to replace street lighting along a 1.6mile stretch of the A1 between the Black Cat Roundabout and the A428 sliproads at Wyboston starts on Monday 11 January. The improvements will be carried out overnight only to minimize disruption with lane closures in both directions. Work on the northbound carriageway will be carried out overnight from 8pm to 7am, Monday to Thursday nights; 8pm to 9am overnight on Fridays; 7pm to 10am overnight on Saturdays; and 7pm to 7am overnight on Sundays. On the southbound carriageway, work will take place overnight from 7pm to 6am, Monday to Thursday nights; 8pm to 9am overnight on Fridays; 6pm to 10am overnight on Saturdays; and 9pm to 6am overnight on Sundays. Lane closures and a temporary 50 mph speed restriction will be in place overnight on the approaches and throughout the length of the work. Although the A1 will remain open at all times, it will be necessary to close the A428 slip roads when work is carried out on these. This will be done in one direction at a time, with traffic diverted along the A1 to turn around at the next junction and return back on the opposite carriageway before exiting. Signs will be displayed in advance of the works to advise of the dates and times of the slip road closures.
M11 JUNCTIONS 10-11 RESURFACING SCHEME
A £5.4m scheme to resurface the M11 between Duxford (junction 10) and Hauxton (junction 11) is set to start in the middle of next week, weather permitting. A stretch of the central reservation will also be replaced. Both carriageways of the M11 will be affected with work taking place overnight to minimize delays. There will be full carriageway closures on each working night in one direction only, starting on the northbound carriageway, moving to the southbound carriageway in February. There will be fully signed diversion routes in place. A 50mph speed limit will be in operation while work is taking place overnight, between 8pm and 6am on Monday to Thursday nights, 9pm to 8am on Friday nights, and 7pm to 10am on Saturday nights. The speed restriction will remain in place during the day while the safety barrier is being replaced. The work is due to be completed by the end of March 2010.
ONGOING WORK
A1 BEDFORDSHIRE BUCKDEN TO LANGFORD MAINTENANCE WORK
A scheme to provide hardstanding at a number of locations on the A1 between Buckden and Langford is set to start on Monday 11 January subject to weather conditions. Investigatory work to test the soils will be carried out over 5 nights between 8pm and 6am, with construction of the hardstanding due to take place from mid February. While the investigations are taking place there will be lane 1 closures at various locations.
A421 BEDFORDSHIRE BLACK CAT ROUNDABOUT MAINTENANCE WORK
A scheme to provide hardstanding to allow maintenance vehicles to park whilst servicing electrical equipment started on Monday 4 January and will be completed by Sunday 10 January subject to weather conditions. While the work is being carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am there will be some lane closures including the A1 northbound approach to the Black Cat roundabout and the A421 westbound exit from the Black Cat roundabout.
M1 JUNCTIONS 10 TO 10A SPUR LUTON – REPAIRS TO NEWLANDS ROAD BRIDGE
Work to renovate the bridge over Newlands Road on the M1 spur near Luton, began on in September. The work involves replacing the bridge parapets and carrying out drainage and resurfacing work. While the work is being carried out two lanes will remain open in both directions during peak hours until the work is completed in spring 2010. There will be lane closures during offpeak hours and a 40 mph speed limit will be in force throughout the works. There will also be overnight closures of Newlands Road between Slip End village and the A1081 London Road on occasion during the winter months. Drivers using the M1 spur, particularly those travelling to Luton Airport, should allow extra time for their journeys.
M11 JUNCTION 8 - 9 MAJOR MAINTENANCE SCHEME
A £10m scheme to improve safety on the M11 between junction 8 (Stansted Airport) and junction 9 started on Monday 9 November. The work involves replacing nearly five miles of concrete carriageway to provide a smoother low-noise surface, which will also reduce surface water spray. The existing central reservation barrier will be replaced and improvements carried out on the safety fencing and to the drainage system. From Monday 9 November work is being carried out on the southbound carriageway only, switching to the northbound carriageway in January. The work is expected to be completed by March 2010. During the day two lanes will be kept open in each direction, with contraflow running and a 50 mph speed restriction in place. Overnight work will take place on week nights between 9pm and 6am, and on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 8am. The carriageway will be reduced to one lane only on some nights. While the work is taking place wide vehicles, those with a width greater than 3m, will not be able to use the M11; there will be a clearly signed diversion route in place via the A120, A10 and A505.
M1 J10 TO J13 BEDFORDSHIRE – ADVANCE WORKS FOR HARD SHOULDER RUNNING SCHEME
Overnight lane closures between junctions 10 and 11 started on Saturday 9 January for the installation of traffic management for the work on the forthcoming hard shoulder running scheme.
Work began in October to clear the vegetation from the embankment of both the southbound and northbound carriageways on the M1 near Luton to allow access to parts of the embankment so that routine maintenance can take place in the new year. Work is continuing weekdays between 8 am to 6 pm for another month and is due to finish by the end of the year. When this section is complete work will transfer to the remainder of the motorway between junctions 11 and 13. An ecological survey has been undertaken to ensure that only that vegetation which impacts on the hard shoulder running scheme is removed. The work has been planned to take place outside of the bird nesting season. Some sections of the hard shoulder will be closed to facilitate the work. No other impact on traffic is expected.
Drivers using the stretch of the M1 between junction 10 (Luton) and junction 13 (Bedford) will experience some overnight lane closures on both the northbound and southbound carriageways. The Highways Agency will also be carrying out some essential resurfacing work, in order to reduce the need for further lane closures in the future.
As part of the scheme, the Highways Agency will also upgrade junctions 11 (Dunstable) and 12 (Toddington).
A5 DUNSTABLE LIGHTING REFURBISHMENT SCHEME
A £2.2m scheme to improve lighting at the junctions on the A5 between Beech Road in Dunstable and the M1 at junction 9 near Flamstead began on Monday 4 January. The work involves replacing and improving the street lighting and will be carried out overnight to minimize delays. Work affecting both carriageways will be carried out on Monday to Thursday nights between 8pm and 6am, Friday nights between 9pm and 8am, Saturday nights between 8pm and 10am and on Sunday nights between 9pm and 6am. Lane closures and a temporary 40mph speed limit will be in place on the approaches and through the works. Vehicle width restrictions will be in force for vehicles wider than 2.6m with a clearly signed diversion via the M1 to junction 11 and then the A505 back to the A5 at Dunstable. The work is expected to be completed by the end of March 2010.
A5 MILTON KEYNES DRAINAGE SURVEY WORK
Drainage survey work started on Monday 4 January on both carriageways of the A5 between Brickhill Road roundabout (A5/A4146) and Elfield Park, Milton Keynes. The work involves survey work and cleaning and will be carried out between 8pm and 6am Monday to Thursday nights, and between 9pm and 6.30am on Friday nights until the end of January. There will be lane closures on both carriageways but disruption is expected to be minimal.
A14 SAFETY IMPROVEMENT SCHEME NEAR IPSWICH
A £9m scheme to improve safety on the A14 between the Claydon Interchange (junction 52) and the Copdock Interchange (A12/A14 junction) started on Monday 4 January. The work will take place in two phases, with the first phase involving refurbishing the carriageways and improving drainage and safety barriers; the second phase will start in March 2010. The scheme is being coordinated with the Highways Agency’s Corridor Traffic Management Scheme which is installing technology to help keep road users informed of traffic conditions up ahead and is due for completion in summer 2010. (see below). During the first phase of the work there will be overnight lane closures between 7am and 6am, along with contraflow running during weekends. A 50mph speed limit will be in place along the whole stretch of road for the duration of the project, which will be enforced with average speed cameras. There will also be carriageway and sliproad closures at Sproughton Interchange (junction 54) at weekends between 7pm on Fridays to 6am on Mondays with clearly signed diversions in place.
A14 JUNCTIONS 36 TO 45, SUFFOLK – A14 CORRIDOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME
A safety scheme to install fibre optic cables providing drivers on the A14 with real-time traffic information via electronic overhead signs, has now reached the second phase, following work in Northamptonshire. Work is being carried out in Suffolk between A14 junction 36 (west of Newmarket) through to junction 45 (Bury St Edmunds) with overnight infrastructure work; laying cables and installing platforms on the verges. The work is being carried out overnight with some lane closures from 10pm until 6am. A temporary 50mph speed limit is in force for the safety of the workforce and road users. The expected completion time for this phase of works is Summer 2010.
A14 CAMBS/SUFFOLK BORDER MAINTENANCE WORK
Work to improve safety on the A14 westbound between junction 40 (Higham interchange) and junction 39 (Kentford interchange) began on Monday 9 November. The work involves renewing and replacing the drainage gullies on the westbound carriageway and is being carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am. While the work is taking place lane one of the westbound carriageway will be closed between Higham and Kentford interchanges, with one lane entry onto the westbound on sliproad at Higham interchange. It is expected to be completed imminently, weather permitting.
A12 GREAT YARMOUTH – NEW TRAFFIC LIGHTS AT GAPTON HALL
Work to install and upgrade the traffic lights and road signs on the roundabout at Gapton Hall and the southern approach from the A12 started on Monday 4 January. Detector loops under the road surface will measure traffic flows on the approaches to the junction prompting the lights to change as necessary. The work will be carried out overnight between 9pm and 6am when traffic flows are at their lightest, Monday to Saturday, until the scheme is complete by the end of March. Diversions will be necessary when the roundabout is closed for resurfacing work, with traffic diverted via clearly signed diversion routes.
A12 INGATESTONE, ESSEX – ESSENTIAL BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
Maintenance work to the Trueloves Bridge at Junction 13 Ingatestone bypass began on Monday 23 November. The work involves the bridge, which carries the B1002 over the A12 being supported temporarily while concrete repairs are carried out to the bridge piers and bearings replaced. The work will be carried out 24 hours a day, with the southbound carriageway reduced from three lanes to two. A 50mph speed restriction enforced by safety cameras, will be in place throughout the duration of the work. At various times, there will only be one lane open in each direction between 9 pm and 5.30 am. In addition, the B1002 over the A12 will occasionally be closed overnight with a clearly signed diversion route in place. The work is due to be completed by the end of March 2010.
A12 HATFIELD PEVEREL TO WITHAM IMPROVEMENT SCHEME
A £6.8m scheme to improve safety and tackle congestion on the A12 between Hatfield Peverel and Witham South began on Tuesday 3 November. The work will provide an additional lane southbound between the two junctions, which will assist drivers joining and leaving the A12 at these junctions. In addition the existing carriageway are being resurfaced, additional street lighting and road signs being installed and maintenance work to Woodend Bridge is also being carried out. Two lanes will be maintained in each direction throughout the day, with overnight lane closures between 8pm and 5am on weekdays, extended to 8 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A 50mph speed limit is in place. There will also be occasional overnight slip road closures with clearly signed diversion routes. The work is due to be completed by the end of March 2010.
A47 NORWICH TROWSE INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENT SCHEME
A £500,000 project to improve safety and reduce congestion at the A47/A146 Trowse Interchange near Norwich began on Monday 4 January. The work will be carried out overnight to minimize disruption to traffic and is expected to be completed by the end of March. Traffic signals and their operating system will be upgraded, and new road surfacing laid and road signs and marking renewed as part of the scheme. The work will involve closing the A47 east or westbound off-slip roads overnight between 8pm and 6am. During the periods of closure a clearly signed diversion route will be in place. When the eastbound off-slip road is closed traffic will be diverted along the A47 to Postwick Interchange. Diverted traffic will then follow a signed diversion to join the A47 westbound carriageway and follow the A47 to Trowse Interchange to access the A146. When the westbound off-slip road is closed, westbound traffic will be diverted along the A47 to the A140 Ipswich Road Interchange, and follow diversion signs to rejoin the A47 eastbound carriageway. Diverted traffic will then follow the A47 Trowse Interchange to access the A146. Works will also be undertaken on the A146 using localized lane closures as part of this scheme.
A47 PETERBOROUGH – £1.8M BRIDGE REFURBISHMENT SCHEME
Major maintenance work to two bridges on the Bretton Interchange on Soke Parkway, Peterborough, started on Sunday 15 November and continues until March 2010. The work involves repairs to the bridge piers, replacement of bridge joints, realignment of safety barriers, and installation of a new drainage system. Lane closures are in place 24 hours a day on the A47 at junction 16 during the work, with two full overnight closures expected to be in January. During the closure drivers will be sent along a clearly signed short diversion route up and over the Bretton Interchange. A 50mph speed limit is in place. The inside lane of the Bretton Interchange roundabout remains closed to enable new kerbstones to be laid and drainage cleaned. The A47 northbound and southbound exit slip roads leading to the roundabout will retain one lane open to traffic on their approach. These lane closures will remain in place 24 hours a day. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
A421 (BEDFORD)-M1 J13
Major construction work to build the new eight mile dual carriageway on the northwest side of the existing A421 between M1 J13 and the Bedford Southern Bypass continues. Motorists are being warned to expect some disruption to their journeys until the improvements are completed in December 2010.
There is no right turn into or out of the Bedford Road (C280) at Marston Moretaine. The southern end of Lower Shelton Road is currently closed to traffic joining or leaving the A421 with a clearly signed diversion route in place.
M1 J13 Bridge Construction: Overnight slip road closures are currently in place to allow for the construction of a new bridge over the M1 and a new roundabout on the A421 at junction 13. Closure times as follows:
9pm – 5am, Monday –Thursday; 11pm – 7 am, Friday; 9pm – 9am, Saturday;
10pm – 5am, Sunday.
These overnight slip road closures will be in place until the scheme is completed in December 2010, although no more than two slip roads will be closed on any one night. Advance warning signs will be displayed warning drivers of planned closures and diversion routes will be clearly signposted. A temporary 50mph speed restriction will be in place on the M1. Lane closures will be in operation but generally three lanes will be in use as the hard shoulder is being used as an additional lane. Approximately 1.25 miles (2km) of the M1 either side of J13 will be affected and these restrictions will apply 24 hours a day until the scheme is completed.
Partial closure of A421/B530 Roundabout (known locally as the Interchange Retail Park roundabout): Partially closed from Tuesday 24 March with no right turns to or from the westbound carriageway of the A421. Diversion routes will be clearly signed.
Work to upgrade the A6 roundabouts is complete. The traffic signals at Progress Park, Elstow Junction and Cowbridge Junction are now in operation. The signals at all three junctions will continue to be monitored and adjusted to ensure smooth running of the junctions which may take some time. Drivers, particularly HGV drivers, are asked to be aware of the changes and to take extra care.
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