The Highways Agency has made a significant announcement that will likely delight motorists up and down the country, with the organisation planning to complete or suspend the vast majority of its roadwork operations for the bank holiday weekend.

Getting underway from 06:00 BST on Friday August 22nd, the closure of road maintenance schemes will run until 00:01 on Tuesday August 26th, with more than 270 miles of major roadwork operations being either finished or suspended.

Overall, the agency has committed to completing 164 miles of projects prior to the Friday deadline, while a further 110 miles of works will be put on hold to allow for smoother traffic flows over the busy three-day weekend.

With thousands of people planning getaways for the coming bank holiday, the news that hundreds of miles of roads will be free from traffic management programmes can only come as good news for travellers.

That said, a number of routes will continue to see lane restrictions and temporary speed limits in place throughout the bank holiday weekend, as these measures will help to ensure the safety of drivers even when agency staff will not be working at each of these sites.

Highways Agency director of traffic management Simon Sheldon-Wilson commented: "To help road users, Highways Agency traffic officers and the police will work to clear up any incidents as soon as possible. But we advise drivers to check weather and travel conditions before any long journey and make sure they have maintained their vehicles, including trailers and caravans before setting out."

Individuals planning a getaway this bank holiday weekend can find out more about changes to the schedule for roadwork operations in their area by visiting the Highways Agency website.

Mr Sheldon-Wilson concluded: "This bank holiday weekend, over 98 per cent of motorways and major A-roads in England will be clear of roadworks."