Roadworks suspension for those 'driving home for Christmas'
Motorists driving home for Christmas will be pleased to know National Highways are suspending 900 miles of roadworks on motorways and A-roads over the festive period.
The vast majority of roadworks will be removed from England’s motorway and major A-road network from 6am on Tuesday, December 21, until 12.01am on Tuesday, January 4.
However, HS2 construction work will mean the M42 in Staffordshire and North Warwickshire between junction nine, for Dunton, and junction ten, for Tamworth, will be totally shut from Christmas Eve until New Year's Eve.
Thursday, December 23, is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year as people return home or travel to relatives for Christmas.
National Highways has encouraged drivers to check traffic conditions before they set off and to make sure their vehicle is ready for the journey ahead.
National Highways customer service director Melanie Clarke said: "We don’t want roadworks to spoil Christmas so we’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible; that’s why we’re keeping almost 98 per cent of the road network we manage free from roadworks.
"Our dedicated control room teams and traffic officer patrols are geared up to help those travelling over the Christmas period and we’re expecting Thursday 23 December to be one of the busier days in the lead-up to the festive period."
She added: "We know from experience that peak travel times can vary in the run-up to Christmas, and so we’re encouraging drivers to check traffic conditions before heading out, to help keep traffic flowing.
"And we’re also asking motorists to be prepared before setting off. Almost half of breakdowns can be easily avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before their journeys."
To reduce the amount of breakdowns over the festive period motorists have been urged to check fuel, tyres, engine oil, water and lights on their vehicles.
The work on HS2 around the M42 is one of the country's biggest construction projects as ground works need to be completed before the installation of Marston Box bridge, which the high speed trains will be crossing, near Curdworth, North Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire.
The stretch of motorway between junctions nine (Dunton Interchange) and10 (Tamworth Interchange) will be fully closed from 9pm on Christmas Eve to 9pm on New Year's Eve.
A diversion route will be in place during the closure.
In Shropshire, National Highways reported 3.6 miles of roadworks had been completed between Onibury to Stokesay, near Ludlow. In Staffordshire two miles of roadworks have been completed from Swinfen Island to A453, near Tamworth.
