Politics

Press release: Planned roadworks in the North West: summary for Monday 3 to Sunday 9 April 2017

The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of Friday 31 March and could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible. Drivers looking for roadworks information (such as overnight carriageway closures) for individual schemes should now visit Traffic England. Some of our larger schemes have project pages giving other information. These can now be accessed from a dedicated regional page.

M53 junctions 1 to 2 (Wallasey to Upton)

Work to upgrade the safety barrier in the central reservation between junctions 1 and 2 on the M53 started on Monday 6 February. Lane closures will be in place overnight, with some full carriageway closures later in the project.

M56 junctions 10 to 11 (Stretton to Preston Brook)

Work to upgrade the safety barrier and paint new road markings on the M56 near Warrington started on Monday 30 January. Lane closures will be in place overnight between 8pm and 5am, Monday to Friday.

M6 junctions 16 to 19 (Cheshire smart motorway)

Work is underway to upgrade the M6 to a smart motorway between Crewe and Knutsford, converting the hard shoulder to an extra lane and introducing new variable speed limits. Narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit are in place for the safety of drivers and workers. Overnight lane closures are in place this week on both carriageways.

M6 junction 21a/M62 junction 10 (Croft Interchange)

Construction work is taking place on a major project to tackle congestion and improve the flow of traffic between the M6 and M62 at Croft Interchange. A 50mph speed limit, backed by average speed cameras, will be in place along main carriageways of both the M6 and M62 and interchange link roads. Some overnight slip road closures will also take place.

M6 junctions 29 to 30 (M65 to M61 interchanges)

Overnight resurfacing work is taking place on the M6 between 8pm and 5am, Monday to Friday. Clearly signed diversions will be in place, and the scheme is due to be completed in May.

M6 junction 38 Tebay

Night time single lane running 8pm to 6am with 2 lanes open during the day with a temp speed limit of 50mph Southbound. Works are for resurfacing and will be complete by the 9 of April

M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 (Sale to Rochdale)

A major smart motorway scheme is taking place to cut congestion and improve journey times on parts of the M60 and the M62 in Greater Manchester. The scheme involves overnight slip road and carriageway closures, with narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit in place for the safety of drivers and road workers.

A556 Knutsford to Bowden

The following closures are in place:

overnight closures 9pm to 5am on Thursday 6 April and Friday 7 April.
A556 in both directions from Bowdon roundabout to M6 junction 19
M56 junction 7 exit slips in both directions
M56 junction 7 eastbound access slip
M6 junction 19 southbound exit slip

A56 Lymm Rd to Dunham Rd- will be controlled by traffic signals allowing access from Lymm to Altrincham and vice versa.

A56 Haslingden Bypass between M66 Junction 1 and A680 Bent Gate roundabout

Work is due to start 27 March for approximately two weeks to include the replacement of traffic sensors and cables and renewal of road markings.. Road closures on the northbound and southbound carriageways, between 8pm and 5am (by 7am at weekends), Monday to Friday, will be in place on the A56 Haslingden Bypass between M66 Junction 1 and A680 Bent Gate roundabout.

A585 Amounderness Way, Thornton

Temporary traffic lights will be in place between West Drive and Bourne Way until the end of May for maintenance and inspection work.

A66 Bassenthwaite Lake

A contraflow system is in place while work is carried out on the embankment in the central reservation next to Bass Lake. The scheme is due to be completed in the spring.

A66 Keswick

Work started on Monday (20 March) on a 6 week bridge repairs project on the bridge over the River Greta. This is a dual carriageway stretch of the road and 1 lane will be closed in each direction during the work – between Crosthwaite roundabout and Brierley Interchange – with a 40mph speed limit in place. Work will take place between 6am and 8pm each day. Laybys in the area and a footpath under the bridge will be closed throughout the scheme. There will also be a ban on vehicles over 44 tonnes using the bridge, again for the duration of the work.

A66 Thornthwaite (Osprey Site)

Flood resilience work is continuing with overnight carriageway closures in place between 8pm and 6am until the end of March. Clearly-signed diversions are in place. During the day, temporary traffic lights are in use along with a 40mph speed limit.

A66 Marron Bridge

Maintenance is underway on Marron Bridge, between Broughton Cross and Bridgefoot. Overnight closures are in place between 9pm and 5am, with a clearly-signed diversion. Due to the temporary bridging plates, a 30mph speed limit backed by speed cameras is required during the day.

B6167 Lancashire Hill (M60 junction 1 to 27 Cycleway improvement scheme)

A 24 hour lane closure and footpath closure will be place on the B6167 Lancashire Hill between the junctions of Nicholson Street and Knightsbridge from 8 March for ten weeks for a cycle improvement scheme.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

March 31, 2017 HM GovernmentHM GovernmentGB • HM Government

A55 update

He said:

“Firstly, over the last 4 years we have undertaken a major programme of works to bring the A55 tunnels at Conwy, Penmaenbach and Pen y Clip up to current legislative and design standards. I am pleased to report that the programme came to an end last night with the re-opening to normal operation of the Conwy tunnel. It is now my expectation that all maintenance and improvement works for the medium to long term will be carried out overnight.

“Last week also saw the re-opening of the westbound A55 at Abergwyngregyn where we are carrying out advance flood alleviation works to improve the resilience of that section of the A55. Works will now continue off-line with little impact on traffic.

“However, the A55 recently suffered a significant partial failure of a bridge joint just west of Llanddulas. We have had to put together an emergency package of works to minimise the impact on the A55 should that joint fail completely. We are thus installing a full central reserve crossover at Rainbow Bridge. This is vital, as any further failure of the joint, which would require immediate and full closure of the westbound carriageway, would allow us to effect contraflow on the eastbound carriageway. That would cause significant delays in itself, but without the crossover the only option would be to divert all traffic, 24/7, onto the old road from Llanddulas to Colwyn Bay (which would result in disruption similar to that caused by last year’s chemical tanker spill but over a much longer period).

“The crossover works, which are being carried out to a extremely challenging programme by local contractors, will be complete by Wednesday 5th April at the latest. The works cannot be removed at the weekend because it is too unsafe to leave a gap of over 200 metres in the central reserve.

“Our suppliers are, concurrently, progressing a design of a temporary fix for the bridge joint which will provide sufficient support to keep the joint from complete failure until we can effect planned contraflow next winter to replace the joint.

“As the works will continue over the forthcoming weekend we are extending messages across the border to warn motorists to allow extra time for their journeys.

“Finally, you may not be aware but we have resurfaced long lengths of the A55 over recent weeks, all carried out overnight with very little disruption to traffic.

“I hope this gives you confidence and reassurance that investment in the A55 is being made at pace, with the aim of minimising disruption. I will not compromise on the safety of motorists, but I am also determined to ensure infrastructure upgrades are carried out in a most timely fashion.

“I will be inviting journalists to visit roadwork sites on the A55 in the future and would welcome the opportunity to host you on such visits.”

March 31, 2017 NewsWelsh Governmentpolitics • Welsh Government

News story: Lasting and enduring power of attorney fees are changing

From 1 April 2017, the fees for applying to register lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) reduce from £110 to £82, with the fee for resubmitting an LPA for registration reducing from £55 to £41.

Why the change is happening

The fee reduction has been made possible by the high number of applications OPG is processing and efficiencies which have driven down the cost of providing the service. Ministers hope that cutting fees will encourage even more people to take out LPAs, providing peace of mind for themselves and their families.

How this change affects LPA and EPA applications

LPA and EPA applications paid for from 1 April 2017 onwards will be charged £82.

For those who recently submitted an LPA or EPA application with a payment of £110 that’s paid for after 1 April 2017, the difference will be refunded to the individual who made the payment.

For those who applied through a third party such as a solicitor, the solicitor will be notified and the payment will be returned to the person who paid the original registration fee. The money will go directly into that person’s bank account.