Friday 15:58
A12 - RETEXTURING WORK, MOUNTNESSING INTERCHANGE Overnight work to retexture the A12 southbound carriageway at the A1023 Mountnessing Interchange J12 near Brentwood, starts on Sunday, 30 March. All three lanes and the southbound exit slip will be retextured to improve skid resistance. All works will take place between 9pm and 5am. On Sunday 30 March, the southbound exit slip will be closed. Traffic will be diverted along the A12 to the M25 Brook Street interchange where it will turn back along the A12, and exit northbound at the A1023 Mountnessing Interchange. On Monday 31 March, the southbound main carriageway will be closed. Traffic will be diverted onto the southbound exit slip at the A12/A1023 Mountnessing Interchange, cross the roundabout and rejoin the A12 via the southbound entry slip. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
A11 - RETEXTURING WORK, THETFORD AND ELVEDEN Overnight work to retexture two sections of the A11 in Norfolk started on Wednesday, 26 March. The first section at Elveden was completed ahead of schedule last night (Thursday 27 March).
The second section is at Thetford Bypass, where work will take place for one night only, on Friday, 28 March, from 8pm to 6am. The work involves retexturing 2.6 miles (4.1 km) of both directions of the carriageway, with traffic restrictions in place from a point 200 metres (0.1 miles) south of the London Road roundabout to the A134 Mundford roundabout.
A 10 mph convoy through the work will be in operation, with 50 mph speed restriction on approach to the work. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
A47 - RETEXTURING WORK, NEAR NORWICH Overnight work to retexture both lanes of the A47 west of Norwich will take place for one night only on Saturday, March 29, from 8pm to 6am. The work affects 2.8 miles (4.5 km) of the A47 westbound carriageway from the approach to the A47 / A1074 Longwater Interchange through to 150 metres west of the Easton roundabout.
A 50 mph speed restriction will be in place on the approach to the Longwater Interchange, where motorists will be diverted up-and-over the junction using the slip roads. Traffic will then join a 10 mph convoy through to the end of the works, west of the Easton roundabout. Road markings including rumble strips will be replaced on the same stretch of road for a further five nights between Monday 31 March and Friday 4 April. Traffic will flow along the same convoy. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
A120 - BRAINTREE RESURFACING The second phase of overnight resurfacing of the A120 near Braintree, in Essex, starts this week. This will affect just over half-a-mile (1 km) of both the east and westbound carriageways, between the Marks Farm roundabout and Baytree Farm. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in both directions. There will be a wide vehicle ban in place between the Marks Farm and Marks Tey roundabouts, with traffic diverted via Chelmsford along the A131, A130 and A12. Work will be completed by Friday, 11 April. Working hours for both phases will be 8pm to 5am. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
SAFE DRIVING AT ROADWORKS
During 2006 two workers were killed and 19 seriously injured in the course of their work on Highways Agency roads.
For the safety of all road users and roadworkers, when you are approaching roadworks:
* Keep within the speed limit - it is there for your safety. * Get into the correct lane in good time - don't keep switching. * Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks. * Be alert for works' traffic leaving or entering roadworks. * Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front. * Observe all signs - they are there to help you.
Remember that tiredness can kill. Take regular breaks from driving.
ONGOING WORK:
M1 J6A TO J10 WIDENING Work continues on the rest of the M1 widening scheme. During the day three reduced width lanes on the M1 are open to traffic in both directions. Overnight the M1 may be reduced to one lane in each direction and junctions closed. Drivers are advised to plan their journeys in advance. A 50mph speed limit is in place 24-hours a day, seven days a week, enforced with temporary average speed safety cameras. Motorists are advised to pay special attention to the roadworks signs and get into the correct contra-flow lane early to minimise delays.
M11 J6 - J9 INSTALLATION OF CCTV MASTS Work to install CCTV masts, cables and safety fencing alongside the M11, between J6 and J9, is due for completion in mid April. Work is being carried out during off-peak hours, Monday to Friday. The work affects the southbound carriageway of the motorway from just south of J7 (Harlow) to half-way between J8 and J9. The work will require hard-shoulder closures of the southbound carriageway during the day, and lane closures overnight. Once completed these cameras will help the Highways Agency to monitor and manage traffic flows.
M11 - TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE Work has started on a £15 million major scheme to provide better information for drivers on the M11. New electronic message signs and a queue protection system to warn drivers of slower traffic ahead will be installed between Junction 6 (M25) and Junction 8 (Stansted) in Essex. CCTV coverage is also being provided to help Traffic Officers deal with incidents more quickly.
The work covers 15 miles of the M11 from one mile south of Junction 6 (M25) to two miles north of Junction 8 (Stansted). All the signs will be installed in the verges with work being undertaken from the hard shoulder. To reduce disruption to the M11 during the work, all three lanes will remain open to traffic during the daytime.
Lane closures will be required overnight to allow safe access by heavy machinery for construction of foundations for the signs. A temporary 50 mph speed restriction will apply when overnight closures are in operation, to protect the workforce.
All sign installation is due to be completed by July 2008. Testing and commissioning of the electronic systems will follow and the signs should be fully operational two months later.
A5 - PELICAN CROSSING UPGRADE, DUNSTABLE Work to upgrade a Pelican crossing to a Puffin crossing on the A5 near Friars Walk, Dunstable, began on Monday, 3 March, for approximately one month. Renewal of road markings and the anti-skid surfacing will be carried out at the same time to minimise future disruption for motorists.
All work will take place during off-peak daytime hours and overnight. Working hours will generally be 9.30am to 3.30pm and 8pm to 5am, Monday to Friday, except for a 3pm finish to the daytime work and a 9pm start to the evening work on Fridays. There will be no weekend working.
During the works, temporary traffic signals will control the flow of traffic in each direction. Access will be maintained at all times. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
The pedestrian crossing will temporarily be out of working order and pedestrians will be diverted 200 metres south of Friars Walk near to the Britain Street junction.
The difference between the two types of crossing is that the illuminated red and green man signs on a Puffin Crossing are on the near side of the road, rather than on the opposite side. Puffin Crossings also have sensors which detect the presence of pedestrians waiting on the pavement and as they cross the road. These sensors ensure that the signal for vehicles remains red until the pedestrians have safely crossed the road (within practical limits).
A12 - BASCULE BRIDGE ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE, LOWESTOFT There will be further overnight closures of the A12 Bascule Bridge, in Lowestoft, until May. The dates of these closures are yet to be confirmed.
The temporary footbridge will remain in place next to the Bascule Bridge to allow pedestrians, the disabled, and dismounted cyclists to cross Lake Lothing. Advanced signing and a signed diversion route will be in place for motorised vehicles.
Each overnight closure will be from 8pm to 6am. There are no more planned daytime closures.
A14 - VEGETATION CLEARANCE, HAUGHLEY Further work to clear vegetation from the central reservation and verge of the A14 between Haughley New Street and Tot Hill is taking place on Sunday, 30 March.
All work will be carried out during daytime hours, from 7.30am to 4.30pm, and affects the eastbound carriageway only. One lane will be closed for approximately 1.2 miles (2 km) to allow safe working to take place.
A14 J15 TO J28 - SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR LAYBYS A scheme to improve safety at lay-bys on the A14 in Cambridgeshire started on Monday, 10 March. The work is being carried out to reduce accidents that are associated with the lay-bys between Junction 15 (Bythorn) and Junction 28 (Boxworth), including two lay-bys on the A14 spur road between Alconbury and Huntingdon.
Eight lay-bys will be improved by installing posts on the verge at the entry and exits to prevent, mostly HGVs, causing a dangerous obstruction by parking on the verge. Ten lay-bys will be converted to emergency use only with the installation of signs, road markings and emergency telephones. One lay-by will be removed completely and the verge will be reinstated.
Work will begin on the lay-bys near Boxworth and then move westwards. Work is expected to be completed in early May. Each lay-by will be closed while work is carried out. To ensure safety for drivers, a lane one closure and temporary speed restriction will be in place overnight for approx half a mile at each location where work is taking place.
A421 - BUMPY LANE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT, NEAR BEDFORD Work to improve the drainage of the A421 Bumpy Lane underpass, off Old Harrowden Road, near the A421 / A600 High Road Interchange, Bedford, started on Monday, 10 March. The work involves repairing, cleaning and surveying the drainage system, clearing ditches and putting up security fencing and gates. Approximately 900m of lane 1 of the A421 westbound carriageway will be closed during night-time off peak working hours on the nights of Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March. Daytime hours will be 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Overnight hours will be 8pm to 6am, Monday to Thursday, and 9pm to 6am, Fridays. Completion is expected by Friday 18 April. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England's motorways and major A roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. Real -time traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads is now available:
* From our new Traffic Radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at http://www.trafficradio.org.uk To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".
* On the internet at http://www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo
* By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; mobile calls usually cost more).
3. Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it's safe and legal before you call.
4. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website http://www.highways.gov.uk, or telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time. (Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 3p/min from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary)
Issued on behalf of the Highways Agency by GNN East.
Client ref E32-08
