MORE than 700 miles of roadworks will be put on hold over the upcoming Coronation weekend.

National Highways is pausing the work for the crowning of His Majesty King Charles III, in a bid to help motorists enjoy smoother journeys.

The move means more than 96 per cent of England’s motorways and major A roads will be free from roadworks over the holiday period.

In the south west, the roadworks will be removed by 6am on Friday (May 5), and not back in place until 12.01am on Tuesday (May 9).

The King will be crowned alongside Her Majesty, the Queen Consort during the ceremony, with tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on London for the occasion.

Routes heading towards London, such as the M40, M1 and M4, are expected to be busy with 11 miles of roadworks on the M1 around Hemel Hempstead and Dunstable removed in time for the Coronation weekend.

To help keep traffic flowing, some 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. Drivers are still advised to leave plenty of extra time for their journey.

National Highways customer services director, Andrew Butterfield, said: “We know that people will want to head 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, added: “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.”

Are you celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III this weekend?

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Have a great time!