MOTORISTS could soon be allowed to travel at higher speed through motorway roadworks.

Under new plans from Highways England, speed limits could be altered depending on what day of the week they are travelling following feedback from road users.

Following earlier trials to increase the speed limit throughout roadworks from 50mph up to 60mph, the company will test to see if varying speed limits could be operated safely.

Examples being looked at include speed increasing to 60mph on a Sunday if there is less activity taking place, and then brought back down to 50mph when road workers are working within a few feet of passing traffic.

It is also exploring if different speed limits could operate within one set of roadworks.

This would result in those commuting to work on one carriageway at 50mph as they are nearer the workforce, but drive home on the other carriageway at 60mph as the road workers are further away.

Jim O’Sullivan, chief executive of Highways England, said: “People understand roadworks are necessary but are also frustrated by them.

"At the same time we have to ensure as they drive through them that they, and our road workers, are safe.

“So we are always thinking of new ways to improve journeys at the same time as keeping everyone as safe as we can.

"That is why over the next 12 months we will test changes to the design and operation of roadworks.

“We are also working hard to give drivers more and better information about their journeys and to prepare our network for the future, for example the testing of roadside and vehicle technology, so we can continue to keep people, and the country, connected.”

Locations for the trials have yet to be agreed.

Once underway, Highways England will monitor the speed of vehicles, flow of traffic, look at incident data and gather customer feedback to determine its success.