Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Departments policy is on the maximum desirable length of roadworks on motorways.

When designing its road works, Highways England uses the guidance provided in the Department for Transport published Traffic Signs Manual: Chapter 8. This recommends that road works are limited to a maximum of 6km (around 3 and ¾ miles), although the adoption of longer lengths of road works is permissible providing they do not create unacceptable impacts. Where longer lengths of road works are adopted, site specific risk assessments are required to identify the safe maximum length. Limiting all road works to a maximum length would increase both costs and duration of some works due to the activities undertaken.