Driving home for Christmas! 1,000 miles of roadworks will be removed from England's roads over festive break
13 December 2023, 09:25
Millions of people will be able to drive home for Christmas on clearer roads this year as hundreds of miles of motorways and A-roads will be cleared of roadworks.
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National Highways said they will be working 'round the clock' this month to remove more than 1000 miles of roadworks ahead of the festive getaway.
More than 98 per cent of motorways and major A-roads will be free of roadworks in time for those travelling during the Christmas period, National Highways said.
It said the 'vast majority' of roadworks will be removed from England’s motorway and major A-road network from 6am on Tuesday 19 December until 12.01am on Tuesday 2 January.
It comes after the AA revealed the exact days you shouldn't travel on if you wanted to avoid chaos over the Christmas period.
Around 32 million car journeys will take place over the festive period, with people expected to set off on their travels earlier than usual, according to AA.
According to their data, Christmas Eve is the day of rush and panic as Brits get to their relatives in time for Christmas and do any last minute shopping.
But this year, the AA predicts December 22 and 23 will be the busiest days on Britain's roads. This is because Christmas falls on a Monday this week, meaning most Brits will be starting their journeys on December 22 and December 23 to make the most of the long weekend with their families.
So if you want to avoid the Christmas travel chaos, you have been warned to avoid those days.
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"While Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary," AA President Edmund King said.
"New Year's Day will be the quietest day on the roads which is probably a good thing especially if drivers have been partying the previous evening."
Which roads are expected to still be busy?
While it is expected to be busy across the country, there have been particular warnings about:
- M25 between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare
- M6 around Birmingham
- M1 northbound from Luton
- M60
- M62
- M4
