Analysing a total of 107 A-roads and motorways, we were able to find out exactly how many projects are planned in for each region, including current on-going works and planned improvements over the next three years. From this, we were able to work out the total days of delays drivers could be facing in the coming months. We also paired these findings with official traffic data from the Department of Transport (DfT) to deliver an estimate of just how many journeys could be disrupted between now and 2021.
With this information, drivers can plan their journeys accordingly, avoiding potential delays and ensuring their journeys are as quick as possible during periods of essential maintenance.
The top 10 most disrupted roads
Road | No. of roadworks | Days delayed |
---|---|---|
M1 | 74 | 199 |
M5 | 60 | 288 |
M27 | 45 | 130 |
M62 | 42 | 503 |
M4 | 35 | 124 |
M6 | 34 | 1,586 |
A1 | 33 | 200 |
M25 | 27 | 395 |
M60 | 26 | 452 |
M20 | 23 | 113 |
roadworks by region
Our analysis revealed a total of 830 projects are currently planned in across the nation, but where in the UK do drivers have the highest and lowest chance of getting caught in roadworks? Our research revealed that drivers in the North West can expect the most delays, with a total of 161 planned projects over the coming three years, resulting in 1,152 days of potential delays to motorists. We’d attribute this to long portions of the M6 (which stretches 337 km from Gretna to Catthorpe) currently undergoing several maintenance and expansion projects.
On the other hand, drivers in the East Midlands face the fewest potential delays, with just 91 projects currently planned in for the region. This amounts to just 123 days that drivers might be delayed, largely due to projects planned in along the portion of the M1 that stretches past Leicester and Nottingham.
Region | No. of Roadworks | Days Delayed | Journeys Affected |
---|---|---|---|
North West | 161 | 1,152 | 195,794,384 |
West Midlands | 101 | 1,210 | 107,335,929 |
South East | 233 | 460 | 102,916,873 |
East | 117 | 642 | 68,918,626 |
North East & Yorks | 127 | 506 | 54,433,954 |
East Midlands | 91 | 123 | 10,561,156 |
roads to repair
So, which roads in the UK have the most roadworks planned in over the coming years? Perhaps not surprisingly, the M1 came out on top, with 74 repairs and improvements currently planned in. These equate to 199 days of potential delays, affecting around 29 million journeys over the coming months.
Other popular routes like the M62 and the M25 came in further down the list, with 42 and 27 projects planned in respectively. Despite having only 6 projects planned in at the moment, drivers on the M50 face some of the highest potential delays, with improvement works currently planned in over 746 days.
In contrast, the M48 (Gloucestershire), M45 (Warwickshire), and the M271 (Hampshire) all came out at the bottom of the list, with just one project each currently planned in.
Want to find out where your local A-road or motorway has ranked? Use our interactive table below to find out:
Roads | No. of Roadworks | Days Delayed | Journeys Affected |
---|---|---|---|
M1 | 74 | 199 | 29,334,486 |
M5 | 60 | 288 | 37,468,658 |
M27 | 45 | 130 | 20,737,305 |
M62 | 42 | 503 | 71,783,155 |
M4 | 35 | 124 | 19,720,136 |
M6 | 34 | 1,586 | 210,325,195 |
A1 | 33 | 200 | 11,003,304 |
M25 | 27 | 395 | 86,269,073 |
M60 | 26 | 452 | 80,762,646 |
M20 | 23 | 113 | 11,187,161 |
M2 | 21 | 152 | 15,795,169 |
M56 | 20 | 66 | 9,487,159 |
A38 | 19 | 116 | 4,960,878 |
A14 | 17 | 531 | 39,524,384 |
A3 | 16 | 165 | 10,303,664 |
A27 | 16 | 108 | 6,584,413 |
A45 | 14 | 24 | 1,372,106 |
A46 | 13 | 48 | 2,069,689 |
M40 | 12 | 38 | 5,238,191 |
M602 | 11 | 474 | 50,884,587 |
A12 | 11 | 170 | 13,303,856 |
M23 | 11 | 58 | 7,161,293 |
A30 | 11 | 51 | 1,520,688 |
M3 | 11 | 22 | 2,828,356 |
A52 | 11 | 18 | 632,950 |
A2 | 10 | 73 | 4,614,033 |
M42 | 10 | 38 | 5,005,913 |
A50 | 9 | 59 | 2,796,580 |
A5 | 9 | 55 | 2,039,960 |
M61 | 9 | 53 | 6,287,729 |
M18 | 9 | 39 | 3,868,916 |
A66 | 9 | 33 | 1,648,915 |
A63 | 8 | 40 | 1,399,890 |
M67 | 8 | 15 | 1,047,006 |
A19 | 7 | 63 | 3,556,323 |
M180 | 7 | 50 | 3,111,703 |
M69 | 7 | 42 | 2,828,139 |
A500 | 7 | 13 | 927,300 |
A282 | 7 | 12 | 1,867,335 |
M11 | 7 | 9 | 918,374 |
M50 | 6 | 746 | 27,275,645 |
A11 | 6 | 29 | 1,217,758 |
M58 | 5 | 86 | 5,208,135 |
M621 | 5 | 12 | 1,177,022 |
A56 | 5 | 10 | 315,607 |
M66 | 5 | 9 | 1,063,075 |
A20 | 5 | 8 | 262,438 |
M53 | 5 | 7 | 562,976 |
M55 | 4 | 276 | 20,353,583 |
A303 | 4 | 100 | 4,030,761 |
A421 | 4 | 46 | 2,192,999 |
A47 | 4 | 44 | 1,386,731 |
M65 | 4 | 37 | 2,941,309 |
A64 | 4 | 19 | 898,654 |
A5036 | 4 | 11 | 465,169 |
M54 | 4 | 7 | 374,279 |
A168 | 3 | 293 | 7,015,185 |
A2070 | 3 | 103 | 3,279,818 |
A40 | 3 | 69 | 3,613,496 |
A417 | 3 | 47 | 1,077,347 |
A34 | 3 | 37 | 1,638,729 |
A580 | 3 | 36 | 1,583,222 |
A449 | 3 | 36 | 944,839 |
A42 | 3 | 18 | 1,123,617 |
A184 | 3 | 15 | 578,585 |
A329 | 3 | 15 | 421,917 |
A404 | 3 | 10 | 363,000 |
A13 | 3 | 3 | 303,379 |
M49 | 2 | 56 | 1,825,404 |
A428 | 2 | 19 | 508,021 |
A43 | 2 | 14 | 554,959 |
A31 | 2 | 9 | 451,310 |
M275 | 2 | 8 | 765,321 |
A453 | 2 | 8 | 273,191 |
A21 | 2 | 8 | 295,824 |
A5148 | 2 | 7 | 298,071 |
M57 | 2 | 4 | 317,346 |
A627 | 2 | 3 | 66,990 |
A120 | 2 | 2 | 93,294 |
A638 | 2 | 2 | 57,463 |
A57 | 2 | 2 | 58,648 |
A414 | 1 | 362 | 16,380,753 |
M45 | 1 | 123 | 2,593,793 |
M48 | 1 | 102 | 3,419,071 |
A419 | 1 | 5 | 241,979 |
A49 | 1 | 5 | 124,389 |
A1307 | 1 | 5 | 110,739 |
M271 | 1 | 4 | 296,704 |
A5103 | 1 | 4 | 262,733 |
A308 | 1 | 3 | 103,785 |
A616 | 1 | 3 | 56,257 |
A550 | 1 | 2 | 56,322 |
A55 | 1 | 1 | 68,207 |
A316 | 1 | 1 | 64,268 |
A180 | 1 | 1 | 51,087 |
A23 | 1 | 1 | 43,133 |
A5111 | 1 | 1 | 43,062 |
A41 | 1 | 1 | 34,525 |
A174 | 1 | 1 | 37,632 |
A62 | 1 | 1 | 34,607 |
A1033 | 1 | 1 | 33,522 |
A631 | 1 | 1 | 21,605 |
A6 | 1 | 1 | 26,318 |
A5127 | 1 | 1 | 24,956 |
A1053 | 1 | 1 | 21,481 |
A69 | 1 | 1 | 29,540 |
A160 | 1 | 1 | 17,496 |