Lanes open on upgraded M56
An extra lane’s been opened on each carriageway of the M56 between Altrincham and Hale in Greater Manchester, designed to to improve journey times and reliability for the tens of thousands of drivers who use the route daily. The upgrade between junction 6 for Hale Barns and junction 8 at Bowdon cost £85 million. The […]
Essex questions A12 widening plans
Council leaders in Essex have written to the head of National Highways to express what they call significant concerns about proposals for two sections of the A12 which are planned to be detrunked and transferred to Council control. The leaders of Essex County Council, Braintree District Council and Colchester City Council said the plans for […]
National Highways plans new tree planting approach after hundreds of thousands die beside A14
More than 160,000 new trees are to be planted this year alongside the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon to replace hundreds of thousands that have died on the new stretch of road which has only recently open. The announcement follows news two years ago that 866,000 trees from a range of native species would be […]
Cable inspections on M48 Severn Bridge come to an end
A programme of cable inspections on the M48 Severn Bridge to monitor corrosion and ensure the bridge remains open and safe is now reaching an end. Inspections have been taking place since June on eight sections across the two main suspension cables as part of a £5 million routine safety investigation by National Highways. Inspections […]
Judge rules Insulate Britain M25 protestors not guilty
Four Insulate Britain protesters have been cleared of charges of wilful obstruction of the M25, despite blocking access to the motorway, with the judge ruling that a conviction on a charge of wilful obstruction of the highway would not be “proportionate.” Four people in court were among 38 activists arrested during the protest between junctions […]
Roads Minister visits M25 Junction 10 project
As National Highways ramps up work to upgrade one of the busiest motorway junctions in the country, Roads Minister Richard Holden has visited the site on Thursday for a guided tour and to see the progress so far. Junction 10 – the M25 interchange with the A3 at Wisley in Surrey – experiences large queues […]
Poorly performing contractors to be banned from bidding for National Highways work
National Highways’s head of procurement is warning contractors it is “extremely likely” to stringently assess the performance of suppliers on its new £30 billion major framework. Malcolm Dare told the website Construction News that National Highways has already started excluding poorly performing contractors on its existing framework from bidding for some work. “In the last […]
Innovative and reduced carbon design tops National Highways gantry competition
National Highways is today proud to unveil this winning design as part of an exciting competition to create the ‘gantry of the future’ for its motorways and major A-roads. Millions of drivers see gantries every day as a routine part of their journeys – and probably don’t give them much thought. However, they are vital […]
Government admits “tough decisions” as transport projects delayed
The Government has blamed “challenging economic headwinds” including the Russian invasion of Ukraine for a series of “tough decisions” on what transport projects can be achieved within original timeframes. While the delaying of work on HS2 hit the mainstream headlines, a number of roads projects are being put back too. The highest profile of these […]
National Highways consultation receives positive feedback for A46 improvements
Proposals to turn a single lane stretch of the A46 into dual carriageway have been widely supported by the public in a consultation. National Highways is planning to build the A46 Newark Bypass, calling a “critical part of our investment to make all our major roads more dependable, durable and most importantly, safe”. The planned […]