Gearing up for the Easter getaway

Highways England, preparing to lift and complete roadworks to help people travelling over Easter

Highways England is preparing to lift and complete hundreds of miles of roadworks to help people travelling over Easter – with more than one billion miles set to be travelled in the run-up to the bank holiday.

To help those miles flow as smoothly as possible, teams from Highways England are working around the clock to remove 300 miles of roadworks - meaning 99 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free in time for Easter.

Highways England data shows of the more than 1bn miles travelled in the week leading up to Easter last year, more than 280 million miles were on Maundy Thursday alone; that’s almost 20 million more than the preceding Thursday.

Highways England’s customer service director, Melanie Clarke, said: “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Easter and that’s why we’re keeping 99 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”

The motorway and major A-road network will be free of roadworks from 6am Thursday 29 March until 12.01am on Tuesday 3 April.

Highways England traffic officers will be working around the clock to help people who get into difficulty.

 Highways England research shows almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems.

Before they set off, Highways England is urging motorists to:

• Check fuel: Make sure you have enough to get to your destination.
• Check tyres: check your tyre pressure and the condition of your tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear and make sure the tyres have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm, which is the legal limit.
• Check engine oil: Use your dipstick to check oil before any long journey, and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you're topping up more than usual.
• Check water: To ensure you have good visibility, always keep your screen wash topped up so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen.
• Check your lights: If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself at risk. In addition, light malfunctions can be a reason for your vehicle to fail its MOT.

Highways England also has a series of specialist videos online to help people carry out basic vehicle checks before they set off on their travels. The videos can be viewed online here: http://think.direct.gov.uk/carchecks.html

Highways England is also urging drivers to stay safe this Easter by adhering to motorway signage, including the red X signals on smart motorways. Highways England close lanes for a reason and drivers ignoring red X signs put themselves and others at risk. Those wishing to find out more about driving on smart motorways can head online to: www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-drive-on-a-smart-motorway for further information.