Motorway roadworks 'should be limited to two miles'

The length of roadworks on motorways and A-roads in England should be shortened to reduce drivers' frustrations, ministers have urged.

Contractors are being asked to limit lane closures, with one report suggesting they should only be between two and five miles long.

Highways England, which manages the roads, is looking at the request to shorten roadworks, the BBC understands.

The Department for Transport said "common sense decisions" were needed.

Longest roadworks

Motorists on some major roads are contending with speed restrictions running for more than 15 miles.

Areas of particular concern are understood to include the M1 and M3 motorways, where there are currently the longest stretches of roadworks in the country.

Among the longest stretches in England - according to traffic information company Inrix - are:

• An 18.1-mile stretch of narrow lanes and speed restrictions on the M1 near Chesterfield, between junctions 28 and 31

• A 15.5-mile road improvement scheme on the M3, between junction 2 and Fleet Services, near Farnborough

• Between junctions 16 and 19 of the M1 near Northampton, 13.7 miles of restrictions

• On the M6, 9.2 miles of roadworks between junctions 10a and 13, near Birmingham

A DfT spokesman said: "Our road investment strategy will deliver the biggest upgrade to Britain's roads in a generation and secure our transport network for the long-term.

"But as it is delivered we've got to respect the drivers who use our roads every day.

"That means taking common sense decisions to minimise frustrations wherever possible."

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: "We'd like to see overnight working done where it's possible. We'd like to see stretches of motorways limited to 10 miles.

"We'd like to see more the variable speeds on, and also more incentives to get the roadworks finished on time."

'Minimise disruption'

A Highways England spokesman said: "We want to provide a better, safer experience for road users on England's motorways and major A roads, including throughout roadworks where major upgrades are being carried out.

"We are committed to minimising disruption from roadworks even further and are exploring managing work in different ways while ensuring good value for money for the public."

He added that the majority of roadworks were carried out overnight, with lanes also closed during the day on some projects like major improvement works.

BBC correspondent Danny Savage said that there was not yet a timescale on when, or if, the changes would come about.