Keeping Abreast Of Road Repairs And Incidents

Something a little different this month – for all you tarmac truckers out there we thought we’d have a look at road conditions around the country. If you’re involved in transportation, as the roads get busier, travel times take longer and longer, so it’s vital to stay on top of what’s happening on your route.

For up-to-date information, we’d recommend all consult some or all of the following:

www.trafficengland.com – A brilliant site that allows you to type in the postcode of where you are, or where you’re heading, for detailed updates.

www.roadworks.org – Another useful site that gives up-to-date information as it happens.

www.highways.gov.uk – the site for scheduled/planned roadworks throughout the UK.  There’s also an up-to-date section on this site, (traffic information pages).

Alternatively, contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Happening Now:

And just as a taster, here’s a quick overview of what’s happening on the roads this August:

M3 Surrey – Smart Motorway Emergency Area Trial

The first of a new-style smart motorway emergency area is being trialled. This now has a highly-visible orange surface, with improved signage to make it more obvious. It’s also designed to encourage drivers to only use it in an emergency.

Smart motorways use variable speed limits to manage traffic and tackle frustrating stop-start congestion, new technology to give drivers better information on road conditions ahead and – in smart motorway upgrades delivered since 2004 – convert the hard shoulder into an extra traffic lane. Evidence shows that smart motorways are successfully adding extra capacity, improving journey times and are just as safe as conventional motorways.

Andover – 6 Month Bridge Maintenance

A six-month scheme to maintain three bridges that carry the A303 over local roads near Andover has started. The aim is to improve journeys on the stretch and it will involve replacing key components of the bridges to provide drivers with safer and more reliable journeys for years to come.

The work will include 24/7 narrow lanes with overnight lane closures and some occasional weekend carriageway closures later in programme. The work is due to be completed, weather dependent, in January 2018.

Some weekend closures will be used to replace the waterproofing material and bridge joints, which span both carriageways. It is expected these will take place over weekends between September and December.