Not joined-up thinking: The mystery of the M49’s ghost junction is about to be solved
A £50m motorway junction that was built in 2019 will finally open later this year. The 160-mere link road off the M49 between Avonmouth and Severn Beach has been empty and unused ever since – a ghost junction leading nowhere. It’s possibly the smoothest patch of road in Britain, with not a pothole in sight. […]
Government earmarks extra £174m for Lower Thames Crossing
Government ministers have earmarked an additional £174m to help build the Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel, fuelling concerns over the “spiralling” costs of one of the UK’s largest planned infrastructure projects. The proposed £11bn route under the Thames between Kent and Essex is already estimated to cost more each mile than the HS2 high-speed rail link from London […]
Simister Island upgrade gets underway, with ‘years of roadworks’ warning
Work to upgrade one of the busiest junctions in the north west of England at Simister Island north of Manchester has started. Five lanes of traffic and a new link road will be created at Junction 18 of the M60 in a bid to ease congestion, following official confirmation by the Department for Transport (DfT) […]
PACTS pushing for reduced speed limits to save lives and money
PACTS’ executive director, Jamie Hassall, has told the House of Commons Transport Select Committee that ‘blanket’ 20mph speed limits across the UK have been put forward as a means to save money on signs and paperwork. According to Auto Express he told the Committee: “At the moment, [20mph speed limits] are done piecemeal. You have to sign […]
New long‑term transport plan sets out safer, greener travel for Dorset
A new long‑term strategy to help make Dorset’s transport and travel better for residents, the economy and the environment is being reviewed by councillors. Dorset Council’s Place and Resources Overview committee are being asked to give their views on the final draft of the Local Transport Plan 2026 to 2041. The pan-Dorset Transport Plan has […]
HS2 set to install two viaducts over M42/M6 Toll
HS2’s complex civil engineering programme will shift up a gear this summer, as it prepares to deliver its biggest programme of work yet over the motorway network. The construction schedule, which starts later this month will see three huge structures built over busy sections of the M42 and M6 in the West Midlands. This will include […]
Associated Asphalt goes the extra mile in charity commitment
Associated Asphalt has renewed its commitment to charity, as employees from across the business came together in the Lake District Ultra extreme challenge to raise funds for Veterans in Action (VIA) and Macmillan. On 6June, a total of 18 Associated Asphalt employees embarked on the gruelling challenge, taking on distances of either 100km or 50km […]
Oxfordshire councillor says Quiet Lanes are being ‘weaponised’ against drivers
A pilot scheme in Oxfordshire that will see some countryside roads closed to through traffic is not in line with government guidance, the authority behind the plans has admitted. Oxfordshire County Council is proposing the new scheme, known as Quiet Lanes, which will shut 10 roads to traffic using “physical measures” where there is an […]
Peterborough: Cyclists and pedestrians to benefit from £1.5 million Queensgate roundabout overhaul
Peterborough’s pedestrians and cyclists will have a safer and more enjoyable experience getting across the city’s notorious Queensgate roundabout with the transformation of what is one of the city’s major traffic intersections. A £1.5 million overhaul of the Queensgate roundabout will see the end of two of its three subways, a new user-friendly crossing into Cowgate, pedestrian […]
Lincolnshire’s unprecedented surface dressing programme set to continue
Since early April, Lincolnshire County Council’s surface dressing crews have covered 872,894 square metres of roads and, the council says the programme is not even half-way through. Cllr David East, executive member for highways, said: “The scale of what’s being delivered right now is huge. We’re protecting roads across the county in a practical, cost‑effective way, and it […]