Major roadworks planned for M4 and M5 motorways as Government promises to 'build back better'

A38 Mowhay footbridge Credit: Highways England

Major roadworks are scheduled to take place on the M4 and M5 motorways as the Government promises to 'build back better' from the coronavirus pandemic.

Highways England will spend £200 million on upgrading cycle lanes, signage, and road surfaces across the region.

More than 120 schemes are planned across the South West, including major improvement works on the M4 and M5 motorways.

This is in addition to the multi-million A30 dualling scheme in Cornwall and A303 dualling scheme in Sparkford which are already underway.

Planned roadworks

  • M5 junction 11 Golden Valley - bridge refurbishment and resurfacing

  • M4 junction 15 - new lane to create improved access to housing developments

  • M5 junctions 23 to 25 - message signs, incident detection, speed management, signalling, queue protection and enhanced CCTV

  • A38 Mowhay bridge - widening the footpath for cyclists and pedestrians

  • A40 in Gloucestershire - upgrading six miles of cycleway

Highways England, which is in charge of motorways and major A-roads, said: "Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day for work journeys, home deliveries and the movement of the goods and services, so it’s essential we keep them in a good condition to ensure safety and reliability.  

“With this investment, Highways England will continue to deliver the essential maintenance and upgrades throughout the region to improve safety and help keep drivers on the move.”This latest investment into South West roads follows last year’s maintenance programme which saw Highways England pump £200 million into road maintenance projects.

From April 2020 to March 2021, the company said it resurfaced nearly 200 miles of road throughout the region – the equivalent of nearly 16,000 double decker buses parked back-to-back.