In June 2017, the main southbound access onto the A1(M) at Peterborough was closed completely for two weeks for repairs. Initially, it caused huge traffic problems in Peterborough as the alternative routes failed to cope with the volume of displaced traffic.

There was significant criticism of Highways England’s handling of the closure. Transport Focus offered to examine documents and communications leading up to and during the works, and make recommendations towards avoiding a repeat of the experience for road users on the A1(M) or anywhere else.

You can read our letter to Highways England and their reply below. Transport Focus was subsequently invited to take part in a Highways England debrief, involving its suppliers and those councils managing neighbouring roads, to ensure that lessons are learned from the incident.