Maintenance schemes - South West

National Highways recognises the environmental value of trees. We manage our trees through their whole lifecycle, to control safety risk and optimise their environmental value.

We began a programme of Ash Dieback removal in 2022. Although the issue still requires careful monitoring, we have now completed most of our clearance work. Over the coming months we will begin replanting the areas most affected by this work. We will plant just over 3,000 new trees along the A30 in Devon and Cornwall, ahead of bird nesting season. Local species such as Hazel, Crab Apple, Holly, Hawthorn, Honeysuckle, European Spindle, Hornbeam and several others in lesser numbers, will be planted in a variety of sizes. The trees have been carefully chosen to ensure local habitats are encouraged to flourish.

The work will take place on verges with some rolling lane closures in place. To find out more visit https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/

Ash dieback is a national issue and more information from the Forestry Commission can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/managing-ash-dieback-in-england.

Tree Council - Ash dieback a tree owners guide

https://treecouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Tree-Council-Ash-dieback-tree-owners-guide-FINAL.pdf

The A36 is the most direct route from Bath to Southampton. It's mainly single carriageway and runs for approximately 63 miles through various villages, towns and cities. Parts of the route date back to Roman times.

Cracking has been observed in the southbound section of the footpath running between Limpley Stoke and Monkton Coombe. The extent of the cracking lies within the Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire boundaries. We're currently carrying out detailed surveys to fully understand the scale of the geological defect and monitor movement and groundwater levels within the slope. Safety is our number one priority and traffic management will remain in place to safeguard pedestrians and motorists until our surveys are complete.

A36 Limpley Stoke - March 2022 update

A36 Limpley Stoke - February 2023 update

A38 Glynn Valley will be closed overnight for routine maintenance from 8.30pm in the evening to 6am the following morning:

2024

• 18 to 22 March
• 18 to 22 November

2025

• 17 to 21 March
• 17 to 21 November

Please note these dates may be subject to change.

When overnight closures are in place, please use the following diversion:

Saltash Tunnel will be closed overnight for routine maintenance from 8pm in the evening to 6am the following morning:

2024

• January 9, 10 and 11
• April 9, 10 and 11
• July 9, 10 and 11
• October 8, 9 and 10

2025

• January 7, 8 and 9
• April 8, 9 and 10
• July 8, 9 and 10
• October 7, 8 and 9

Please note these dates may be subject to change.

UPDATE: April 2024

• Due to unforeseen circumstances which have led to changes in our programme of work, we're now expecting to complete these works in May rather than March, as originally published.

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As part of our commitment to safety and air quality, we will shortly begin works to permanently reduce the speed limit between Saltash Tunnel and Carkeel roundabout, from 70mph to 50mph. Average speed cameras will be installed to enforce the 30 mph through the tunnel and we’ll also install average speed cameras on the diversion route through Saltash (the B3271, North Road).

This stretch of the A38 is prone to a high number of shunts and near misses as motorists try to reduce speed on the approach to the tunnel or roundabout. Reducing the speed limit will improve safety and alleviate the need for heavy braking, which in turn should improve air quality.

This is part of a larger package of work affecting Saltash Tunnel, we’ll write with further details nearer the time.

Traffic management

We’ll work overnight Monday to Friday when traffic flows are lowest. Work will take place from 8pm in the evening to 6am the following morning.

• 18 to 30 September – overnight closures of Saltash tunnel
• 2 to 24 October – overnight closures of Saltash tunnel and up to Carkeel roundabout
• 25 October to 7 November – overnight 2-way traffic lights will be in place on the B3271/North Road

We always aim to work to the programme, however unforeseen circumstances or adverse weather conditions may mean changes.

Please note: all enquiries should be directed to National Highways, and not to Tamar Bridge which is independently owned and operated by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Councils.

Temporary traffic lights have been in operation along the A40 near Longhope following a landslide which caused parts of the road to become unstable. We’ll now be carrying out emergency repairs to the carriageway and safety barriers to allow the road to reopen to traffic safely.

When will this work take place?

In order to complete this complex repair we’ll need to fully close the A40 between the A4136 junction at Forest Gate and the B4224 junction at Lea. Closures will be in place 24/7 from 8pm on Sunday 12 April 2024 until 6am on Wednesday 8 May 2024.

What does this mean for you?

We’ll ensure that access for residents, businesses and emergency vehicles will remain throughout the duration of the closure. To minimise disturbance to local residents at night, work will be carried out during the daytime only, between 7:30am and 7:30pm.

A clearly signed diversion route will be in place for HGV and local traffic:

• HGVs will be diverted via the A417 and M50 (closure shown in red below)

• Local traffic will be diverted via the A4136 and B4224 (closure shown in red below)

We apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption to those living close to the work and we’ll make every effort to carefully manage noise levels and additional lighting to minimise the impact.   

Please note, our planned work may be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.

Progress update – 3 May

Our teams have made great progress repairing the embankment and barrier on the A40 following the recent landslip. Once these are in place, we’ll need to complete barrier safety checks before we can reopen the road – which is currently on schedule for 6am Wednesday 8 May. Here are some photos of the progress on site.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience while we carry out these urgent repairs.

We’re carrying out inspections of the post tension structure at M4 junction 17 Stanton St Quintin. This includes surveys both underneath the bridges that pass over the M4, and the roundabout structure above.

We’ll complete as much work as we can overnight when traffic flows are at their lowest, however we’ll need some lane and hard shoulder closures during the day to carry out the work safely.

Please note, unforeseen circumstances such as adverse weather conditions may mean changes to the above dates. We’ll be providing updates here as work progresses.

Closure information – updated Friday 3 May

• Ongoing: the hard shoulder is closed on M4 at junction 17 while we work on the structure above. There are also regular weeknight lane closures on the M4 at junction 17 – at least one lane will remain open.
  
  
• Tuesday 7, Thursday 16, Friday 17 and Friday 31 May, 7pm to 6am each night: the west deck of the Stanton St Quintin junction above the M4 will be closed (between the M4 westbound on slip and M4 eastbound exit slip) while we carry out surveys. We’re also going to take the opportunity resurface this section of road during the full closures. Access to and from the M4 will be maintained, however there will be no access to the A429 towards Malmesbury for anyone leaving the westbound M4 at junction 17 or travelling on the A350 from the direction of Chippenham. Please follow the signed diversion route.
  
  
• Wednesday 8 to Friday 31 May: when we reopen the west deck at 6am Wednesday 8 May, a lane will remain closed 24/7 until our overnight closure on Friday 31 May. To allow us to work on both sides of the road, we’ll move the lane closure overnight on Friday 17 May to the other lane. Both lanes will be fully open from 6am Saturday 1 June.
  
  
• Friday 14 June, 7pm to 6am: the west deck of the Stanton St Quintin junction above the M4 will be closed. Access to and from the M4 will be maintained, however there will be no access to the A429 towards Malmesbury for anyone leaving the westbound M4 or travelling on the A350 from the direction of Chippenham. Please follow the signed diversion route.

Once works have been completed on the west deck, we’ll move to the east deck, where we’re planning to complete our repairs using lane closures:

• From early June 2024: a lane will be closed on the east deck above the motorway (between the M4 eastbound entry slip and the M4 westbound exit slip) from 6am each Monday morning until midday on Fridays. There will be no lane closures in place over the weekend.

We’re still on track to complete the work by end of July 2024.

We’ll soon be carrying out resurfacing and improvements on the M5 southbound between junction 13 (Stroudwater Interchange) and junction 15 (M4 / Almondsbury Interchange).

This will maintain safety and improve the journey for road users, while preventing the need for unplanned closures.

• Closure information

There will be lane closures on the southbound M5 between junction 13 and junction 15 weeknights from Monday 3 to Friday 27 June, 8pm to 6am each night. A lane will remain open to traffic.

The southbound exit slip at junction 14 (Falfield Interchange) will be fully closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, on Tuesday 4, Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 June. To exit the M5 during the closures, please continue to junction 16 and join the northbound carriageway to return to junction 14.

The southbound entry slip at junction 14 will then be fully closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, on Tuesday 11, Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June. A diversion will be in place via the A38 to junction 16.

There will be no access to the Michelwood Services from the southbound carriageway overnight (8pm to 6am) on Wednesday 5, Thursday 6, Friday 7 and Monday 10 June.

This work is subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress.