A5 Stony Stratford to Portway concrete surface repairs and maintenance

We'll be carrying out repairs and maintenance on stretches of the concrete road surface on the A5 between Stony Stratford and Portway in both directions, as well as other repairs and maintenance for approximately six weeks starting autumn 2024. The work will include repairs to the concrete surface on the main carriageway, clearing drains, repainting road markings, and inserting new reflective road studs (cat’s eyes).

Start date January 2025

End date February 2025

Cost £1.9 million

Latest updates

20 November 2024
Work now due to start in January 2025

We're resurfacing and repairing the concrete road surface of the A5 between Stony Stratford and Portway in both directions.

For safety and to minimise disruption, we'll work between 8pm and 6am weeknights only, weather permitting.

The A5 will remain open during the day. However, we may need a single lane closure for safety reasons while we work. This depends on our overnight progress.

Closures

We'll close the A5 in one direction at a time between Old Stratford Roundabout and Abbey Hill Roundabout:
- A5 southbound closures between Old Stratford Roundabout and Abbey Hill Roundabout, from 7 January 2025 for approximately 3 weeks
- A5 northbound closures between Abbey Hill Roundabout and Old Stratford Roundabout, from 29 January 2025 for approximately 3 weeks
Diversions

If you are traveling south:
- exit Old Stratford Roundabout onto Towcester Road
- follow Queen Eleanor Street, Watling Street and Portway
- rejoin the A5 at Portway Roundabout
If you are traveling north, follow the same diversion in the opposite direction.

A5 diversion route map

Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

See more updates

Project information

Most of our road network is surfaced with asphalt, also known as tarmac, but some roads are built of concrete. These make up around 400 miles (4%) of England’s motorway and long-distance A-road network.

The surface of concrete roads that were designed between the 1950s and 1970s have an average life span of 50 years. Their surfaces are now reaching the stage where they will need to be repaired or replaced for safety reasons, and to help them be less noisy and better to drive on.

Around half of the old-style concrete roads will either have repairs or will be replaced over a five-year period. We’ll be using innovative techniques and new technology to provide a modern road that will last for decades to come, and which is easier and quicker for us to repair in future.

Find out more about our national concrete roads improvement programme, how we are working to improve the environment and our innovative ways of working.

Our road repairs will help improve the safety of the road surface. It is essential that we complete repairs to the potholes and cracking to ensure a smoother and safer ride on the A5. Once complete, we expect the life of the road surface to be extended by up to five years.