Drivers might be allowed to travel at increased speed through motorway roadworks on particular days, under new plans from Highways England.
Changes to the design and operation of roadworks will be tested over the next 12 months to determine whether varying speed limits can safely be operated within a set of roadworks without increasing the risks to either drivers or road workers.
The speed limit could be increased to 60mph on a Sunday if there is less activity taking place, for example, then brought back down to 50mph when road workers are working within a few feet of passing traffic. Different speed limits within one set of roadworks will also be tested. This could mean people commuting to work on one carriageway at 50mph while they are nearer the workforce, but driving home on the other carriageway at 60mph when the road workers are further away.
“People understand roadworks are necessary but are also frustrated by them,” said Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England. “At the same time we have to ensure as they drive through them that they, and our road workers, are safe.”
During roadworks, narrow lanes are installed to provide a safe working area for the workforce. Doing this means as many lanes as possible can remain open to traffic. Highways England currently operates a 50mph (or lower) limit in narrow lanes but the tests will determine whether it is safe to operate at 60mph in certain circumstances.
Locations for the trials are yet to be agreed. Once underway Highways England will monitor the speed of vehicles, flow of traffic, look at incident data and gather customer feedback to determine its success.
The trials are outlined in Highways England’s Delivery Plan Update for 2018/19.
