Roadworks to be lifted for Grimsby fans’ big Wembley trip
Highways England is giving a helping hand at the weekend to Grimsby Town fans heading to Wembley as their team bids to return to the Football League after an absence of 5 years.
The Mariners face Bristol Rovers in the Conference play-off final at Wembley on Sunday (2pm, Sunday 17 May). Highways England is carrying out major improvements on the A180, a key route out of the town, and had planned to close the westbound carriageway between the Brocklesby and Stallingborough Interchanges for much of the weekend.
The closure is part of the vital £73 million to £109 million A160/A180 Port of Immingham improvement which started in March.
However, following the Mariners’ success in the play-off semi-finals this weekend’s working arrangements have been reviewed and – depending on the weather - the road works should be lifted early on Sunday morning meaning fans heading to Wembley will get a clear drive out of Humberside along the A180 with no road works on their return on Sunday night either.
However, Highways England is advising fans to check traffic conditions before setting out and is reminding them sections of the M1 on the route to London do have Smart Motorway road works with narrow lanes and 50 mph speed limits in place past the road works - meaning drivers should build in a little extra time for journeys.
Highways England project manager Graham Dakin said:
Given the Mariners’ success in reaching Sunday’s final we decided to review the weekend’s working arrangements and with a favourable weather forecast we should be able to lift these road works in the early hours of Sunday morning to give fans smoother journeys to Wembley and back.
That said, we urge fans to check traffic conditions before setting out and to leave a bit of extra time to get to Wembley to make the kick-off.
Drivers are urged to check travel conditions before setting out on journeys. Highways England provides live traffic information via its [website] (http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/), local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms, such as the iPhone. Information is also available from Twitter via @highwaysYORKS.
Providing they can do so safely, road users can also call the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000 to keep up to date with road conditions.
More information, including access to regular email updates on road works on the A160/A180 project itself, is available on the road project pages.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.