Roadworks to be lifted over King's Coronation weekend to help motorists enjoy smoother journeys

More than 700 miles of roadworks will be lifted over the weekend of the Coronation, with all routes to London being made clearer.

National Highways says more than 96 per cent of England’s motorway and major A road network will be free from roadworks over the holiday period.

They will be removed from roads in the south east of the country by 6am on Thursday and elsewhere across the country by 6am on May 5, before being put back in place on May 9.

It means main routes from the Midlands and the north into the capital should be less congested than normal.

King Charles III will be crowned alongside the new Queen during the ceremony on May 6, with tens of thousands of people expected to descend on London for the special occasion.

Routes heading towards London from the Midlands, such as the M40, M1, as well as the M4 from the west, are expected to be busy.

National Highways says 11 miles of roadworks on the M1 north of London around Hemel Hempstead and Dunstable will be removed in time for the Coronation weekend.

To help keep traffic flowing, 12.5 miles of roadworks will also be removed from the M11 around Cambridge and Harlow with many people expected to use this route to access the M25 or A12 if heading towards the capital.

Motorists are being to advised to leave plenty of time for their journeys and to plan before setting off.

National Highways customer services director, Andrew Butterfield, said: “We know that people will want to head from the West Midlands to London to witness this historic moment and that’s why we have lifted as many roadworks as possible where it is safe to do so across our network.

“Given the size and complexity of some projects it’s not practical to remove them for a couple of days as taking them off and putting them back on again would cause more disruption.

"However, the good news for motorists is that 96 per cent of our network will be roadworks-free over the coronation bank holiday weekend.

“We’d encourage people to plan their journeys before setting off and to make sure their tyres are in good condition, and to make sure that they have plenty of fuel for their journey.”

Minister for roads, Richard Holden said: “National Highways has lifted hundreds of miles of roadworks across major roads, so everyone travelling to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III can enjoy smoother journeys across the weekend."