M40: Closures

(asked on 20th March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the M40 motorway was closed northbound on 11 March 2019; what efforts were made to avoid and minimise that closure; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Jesse Norman Portrait
Jesse Norman
This question was answered on 25th March 2019

The M40 northbound carriageway was closed between junctions 13 and 14 on 11 March following a collision between two cars and an HGV at approximately 14:47. Lane 3 of the southbound carriageway was also closed, for safety reasons, as the HGV struck the central reservation barrier causing damage over a length of approximately 80 metres.

Congestion caused tailbacks for several miles and traffic was diverted via the A452 while the emergency services attended to an injured person, and recovery services removed the damaged vehicles.

Once police investigations were complete, the vehicles recovered and the road cleared of debris, Highways England opened two lanes of the northbound carriageway at approximately 17:15.

Lane 3 remained closed on both carriageways to allow Highways England to repair the 80 metres of central reservation barrier overnight. Once complete, the northbound and southbound carriageways fully re-opened at approximately 03:47.

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