National Highways ‘wraps up’ roadworks for smoother festive travel

From 6am on Friday 20 December until 12.01am on Thursday 2 January, more than 95% of roadworks will be lifted. This will help make sure major routes across the UK are clear for motorists during the busy festive period. 

Significant routes to benefit from roadworks being lifted or completed for the festive period include: 

• More than 100 miles of roadworks on the M25 London orbital
• Over 25 miles of roadworks on the M4 between J4 near Heathrow and J14 at Hungerford
• More than 12 miles of roadworks the M27 near to J3 and Southampton
• A three-mile stretch on the M62 Ouse Bridge between junctions 36 to 37
• More than 33 miles of roadworks across the A47 from Peterborough to Lowestoft
• 28 miles of roadworks on the M1 between Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes
• 59 miles of roadworks on the A14 between Thrapston, Northamptonshire to Felixstowe in Suffolk

Friday 20 December is expected to be the busiest day on the roads over the festive period, with 7.2 million people estimated to be planning journeys of more than two hours. Drivers are being encouraged to plan and prepare now by packing a winter travel kit including de-icer, an ice scraper, warm clothing, boots, food, water, a torch, and a snow shovel. 
 
National Highways data shows that winter breakdown incidents on major roads have increased by 22% over the last five years, with tyre issues being the top cause (19.1%) followed by loss of power (7.9%)*.  
 
The acronym TRIP is an easy way for drivers to remember the four simple steps to take to prepare ahead of using motorways and major A roads this winter: 
 
•    Top-up: Fuel, oil, and screen wash 
•    Rest: Plan regular stops every two hours to avoid driver fatigue 
•    Inspect: Check tyre pressure and tread 
•    Prepare: Have a plan for severe weather conditions

Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads, said:  

"Christmas will be off to a smoother start, thanks to National Highways lifting roadworks, helping everyone to get away safely and smoothly to their well-earned breaks.

“This government is committed to a safe and reliable road network, delivering for taxpayer and connecting communities across the country.” 

Andrew Butterfield, National Highways Customer Service Director, said:  
 
"With more people expected to travel during the festive period and recent storms causing widespread disruption, it’s crucial for drivers to plan ahead and exercise extra caution on the roads.  
 
“To help make journeys smoother, we’re removing roadworks on 95% of the roads we manage and to reduce the risk of breakdowns, we are also urging motorists to check their vehicles using the handy acronym TRIP - especially tyres, coolant, and oil levels before setting off." 

The majority of roadworks will be lifted during the Christmas period including:

• 11 miles in the north west
• 24.7 miles in Yorkshire and the north east
• 164.25 miles in the midlands
• 235.5 miles in the east
• 743.1 miles in the south east

In more good news for Christmas getaways, 45 miles of roadworks are being removed along the M1. These were put in place to build new places to stop in an emergency. There are now 28 new emergency areas open on the M1. 
 
Together with the phased opening of safety enhancement work on the M1 near Luton, it means that 63 miles of roadworks along the M1 corridor are being removed before Christmas, benefitting drivers making journeys between London and Yorkshire.

Visit the National Highways website for more information on staying safe on the roads this winter.

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Notes to Editors

Media interviews are available from Monday 16^th December onwards with an option to do live interviews from our National Traffic Operations Centre in Quinton, Birmingham on Friday 20^th December. Please contact pressoffice@nationalhighways.co.uk to arrange. 

The TRIP initiative is part of National Highways’ ongoing commitment to safer roads, aiming to keep traffic moving smoothly and minimise weather-related incidents.

More information on the TRIP vehicle checklist.

The emergency area roadworks now lifted are at:

• M1 J30-31
• M1 J32-35A
• M1 J23A-25
• There is also phased opening on the M1 J10-13

Emergency areas provide a place to stop in an emergency if you can't exit the motorway or stop at a motorway service area. They are clearly signed at regular intervals along the motorway and have bright orange road surfaces to help you identify them. At 100 metres long, they have plenty of space for even the largest lorry plus a recovery vehicle and they are equipped with emergency telephones linking directly to our control rooms to get help on the way quickly. You should make every effort to reach one of these places of relative safety to avoid stopping in a live lane. More information about emergency areas and how to use them is available online.

Operation Brock:

Drivers travelling to Europe via the Kent ports, are also being reminded that Operation Brock is active on the M20.  Operation Brock is a traffic management arrangement for traffic heading to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover.  You can check on the status of Operation Brock by clicking here: Operation Brock updates.

Statistics:

Roadworks data is collated and owned by National Highways.

*Statistics used are taken from National Highways Control Works data for November – January which shows:

• Over the last 5-year period, winter breakdown incidents have increased by 22% from 56,517 (in Nov-19 to Jan-20) to 68,893 (in Nov-23 to Jan-24).  
• Over the 5 winter periods and where the reason for breakdown is known, tyre issue is the top reason (19.1%) followed by loss of power (7.9%). 
• Over the last 5-year period, breakdown incidents have increased by 22% from 56,517 (in Nov-19 to Jan-20) to 68,893 (in Nov-23 to Jan-24). 
• Incident numbers dropped by 29% during the pandemic period of Nov-20 to Jan-21 and have since increased each year but at a slowing rate, as shown in the following table: 

 

All other data, unless otherwise stated, is from Walnut Unlimited, the human understanding agency, part of Accenture Song. 

National Highways:

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

View our press releases online at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/press/

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via its website (www.trafficengland.com), local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/about-us/social-media-use/

For further information please contact National Highways’ press office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448 and select the most appropriate option below:

Option 1: National enquiries (9am to 5.30pm) & out of hours for urgent enquiries

Option 2: North West (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 3: Yorkshire, Humber and North East (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 4: West Midlands (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 5: East Midlands (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 6: East (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 7: South East (between 9am & 5.30pm)

Option 8: South West (between 9am & 5.30pm)

For more information visit: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/breakdowns/