Sun, 11 Jan 2026

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 The real impact of roadworks on the country - and why they're set to get worse

There is a fine balance between the benefits of improved infrastructure, versus the cost of disruption. Does the country have it right?
Impact of roadworks:
* Roadworks cause significant delays, which can be costly for businesses and frustrating for drivers.
* Delays on major roads increased between 2019 and 2025, partly due to roadworks.
* The government is concerned about the rise in average delay and recognizes its impact on businesses and drivers. Proposed solutions:
* Lane rental schemes: councils can charge utility companies up to £2,500 per day for works on busy routes at peak times.
* Short-term whole-road closures: tested out in Hampshire, where a new garden village was built with an extra junction on the M27.
* Concrete tunnels: used to minimize disruption on major roads. Challenges:
* Co-ordination and communication between utility companies, councils, and roadworks teams are critical but often lacking.
* Duration of roadworks is a significant concern, with long-term closures causing more disruption than short-term whole-road closures.
* Investment in infrastructure is needed to address the backlog of maintenance work. Government plans:
* £25bn investment in the strategic road network between 2026 and 2031.
* Mayors will get the power to introduce lane rental schemes in their areas. Overall, while there are some proposed solutions, no clear answers are immediate. The article concludes that managing roadworks effectively is a complex issue that requires better co-ordination, communication, and investment in infrastructure. Key statistics:
* 2% of England's roads by mileage are motorways and major trunk roads (known as the strategic road network), but they carry a third of all traffic and two-thirds of all freight.
* £25bn investment in the strategic road network between 2026 and 2031.
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