Major roadworks will be lifted to reduce the risk of congestion as people travel to London to pay their respects to the Queen, National Highways has said. Planned closures of major routes in and out of London will be postponed to reduce congestion as large numbers of people travel to the capital for ceremonial and commemorative events to her death.
All closures for roadworks on motorways in and out of London will be paused from the start of this week until after the State Funeral on Monday 19 September. This includes on motorways such as the M25, M11, M3, M4, and M23.
Additionally, all other closures on the motorway network nationally will be postponed for the duration of the extended bank holiday weekend. Existing roadworks will also be removed where possible, with cones and temporary signals withdrawn from 6am on Friday 16 September and not put back in place until Tuesday 20 September.
A planned closure of the southbound M6 between junctions 33 and 32 north of Preston will be among the roadworks postponed this weekend.
John McNeill, National Highways, Head of Service delivery, East of England, said: “We expect the roads to be busy with people looking to travel into the capital and to other royal residences over the weekend. Our traffic officer patrols will be out on the network to help anyone who might get into difficulty, but it’s important people remember to check their vehicle before setting off.
“The last thing anybody wants on the way to their destination is to have a vehicle breakdown. That’s why it’s really important that people spend a few minutes checking the condition of their tyres before setting off.”
The postponement of roadwork closures – both through the week and over the Bank Holiday weekend – will specifically apply to motorways. Works on A-roads will be assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on their impact. Full details of the programme are currently being finalised and will be available in due course.
