Almost two thirds of major roadworks on England's motorways and major A roads will be completed or suspended for the Christmas and New Year holiday before 6am on Friday (21 December), the Highways Agency has announced.

Thirty-four sets of roadworks have been completed and a further 18 are being suspended to help drivers make smoother journeys over the busy festive period. Roadworks at 36 locations will remain in place for the safety of drivers and their passengers.

The move is part of the Highways Agency's commitment to ease congestion, helping drivers to make their journeys safely and reliably.

Tom Harris, the Minister for Roads, said: "At Christmas and the New Year the Highways Agency takes all possible steps to allow drivers to use the roads safely and without delays. Removing roadworks will not only help people who are travelling to visit friends and family, but also Christmas shoppers and goods vehicle drivers who will be on the roads making deliveries as we approach the holiday."

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"The roads will be busy, so we urge drivers to plan their journeys and leave extra time to travel safely at this busy time."

Derek Turner, Highways Agency Director for Traffic Operations, added: "Removing roadworks is just one way we are helping road users at Christmas. Our Traffic Officers will, as usual, be patrolling the motorways 24-hours a day throughout the holiday to deal with incidents and clear them as quickly as possible. They will be supported by operators in our seven regional control centres who will be monitoring the network to help keep traffic moving smoothly.

"We strongly urge drivers to plan their route and check for delays before starting their journey. Making simple checks to their vehicle's tyres, oil and water as well as topping up with fuel is a must. On top of that, we urge people to plan their journeys using the travel and weather information that is available to them. Staying in close touch with travel websites and listening to travel bulletins can make the difference between a comfortable journey and a spoilt getaway."

People using the motorways at Christmas will find that there is now more information than ever available to help them during their journeys.

Over 2500 electronic message signs will give drivers information about road conditions. A number of these now display messages that tell drivers how long it will take them to get to the next junction.

Drivers will also see new blue signs on the hard shoulder of many of our motorways which help drivers to identify where they are if they need to call for help on the motorway.

The signs, positioned every 500 metres along the roadside, show drivers which motorway they are on, the direction they are travelling in and how far they are from the start of the motorway. If drivers can tell the Highways Agency, emergency services, or a recovery company what information is on the sign, they will be able to find them much more quickly.

(GK)