21 August 2012
The Highways Agency will help keep traffic moving over the August bank holiday weekend by ensuring that 99 per cent of England's motorways and other strategic roads are free of roadworks.
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Around 194 miles of works will be completed before the August bank holiday weekend and 59 miles will be suspended between Friday 24 August and Tuesday 28 August, providing extra lane capacity for holiday traffic.
Roads Minister, Mike Penning, said: "This bank holiday weekend, over 99 per cent of motorways and major A-roads will be clear of roadworks. This will be a great help to people travelling during the holiday - more lanes will be open and many speed restrictions will be lifted. Highways Agency traffic officers and the police will clear up any incidents as soon as possible but drivers should check weather and travel conditions before any long journey."
Roadworks at 80 locations will be completed by the Highways Agency ahead of the bank holiday. A further 21 sets of roadworks and lane restrictions will be removed by 06:00 on Friday 24 August and will not be put back before 00:01 on Tuesday 28 August.
At 20 locations, lane restrictions or temporary speed limits will need to remain in place for the safety of drivers and their passengers. (Details below)
Thursday evening and Monday afternoon are expected to be the busiest over the bank holiday weekend, especially on the main holiday routes, as people set out and return from short breaks or day trips.
The Highways Agency keeps road users informed about current road conditions through its website (www.highways.gov.uk), local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms. There are also feeds of live traffic updates and other information on Twitter to help people plan their journeys. For more information and a full index go to www.highways.gov.uk/twitter.
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