Britons warned of motorway madness this summer with 220 miles of roadworks and lower speed limits
Drivers could face lengthy delays on motorways this summer
PA
Drivers are being warned to brace themselves for 220 miles of roadworks on motorways around the UK with speed checks and emergency areas being introduced.
Over the summer, National Highways will install more than 130 new emergency areas on smart motorways, leading to many roads being subjected to 50mph average speed checks.
Although new smart motorway schemes have been scrapped, existing roads will continue to benefit from £900million in safety improvements.
Motorists can expect to see most of the UK's major motorways see roadworks stretching between 10 and 17 miles long. This will include the M1, M3, M4, M5, M6, M20, M25 and M27.
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Smart motorways were scrapped in 2023
PA
Most of the work taking place along the major motorways is part of a £390million funding boost to retrofit extra emergency refuge areas of all-lane running (ALR) smart motorways.
When this work is underway, the inside lane of the motorway will be sectioned off and an average 50mph speed check zone will be implemented.
One of the most crucial sections of the motorway impacted could be on the M1 between Luton and Milton Keynes with 11 miles of work, in addition to a 10-mile route between J43 and J47 near Leeds.
Edmund King, president of the AA, warned drivers of what to expect, describing the amount of roadworks as being a "nightmare".
He added: "Of course we support putting in new emergency areas which, technically, should make smart motorways safer.
"But we did argue, from the start, that they shouldn’t open without the adequate number of areas anyway," The Times reported.
The AA and other motoring organisations like the RAC have already warned drivers about the traffic they are likely to face across the UK over the summer months as millions of Britons look to get away.
Between Friday, July 26, and Monday, July 29, the RAC branded the traffic conditions as the "weekend of woe" with almost 14 million leisure trips being taken.
King highlighted this, noting that a 60-mile journey on the M25 and M3 had taken him more than two hours to complete earlier this week. He also said that his average speed was just 21mph.
He told The Times that "it doesn't feel like there is a national speed limit anymore" because the limits change along major routes so often.
Safety improvements on the M1 in West Yorkshire will begin work between J43 and J46 on August 5, with a 50mph temporary speed limit in place.
The work between J46 and J47 is expected to continue until October this year, while the second phase of the scheme will be completed in May 2025.
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Existing smart motorways will continue to receive funding for safety improvements
PADuncan Smith, executive director of operations at National Highways, said: “Safety is our number one priority and the improvements we are making across the country will keep road users safer for the long term.
“While this work is underway, temporary speed limits are in place for the safety of our workers and road users. These will be removed when the emergency area retrofit programme is completed next March.
“Where we can do it safely, we have begun to increase the speed limit to 60mph on the approach and exit of roadworks to help traffic move more freely.”