UK Roadworks Report

The UK local authorities whose roads spend the most time under repair

No one likes their regular route being disturbed or made difficult due to road works and closures.

Road maintenance in the UK often draws criticism from motorists. Whether it's the potholes that can damage your car tyres or the disruption caused by fixing them.

The UK has a vast road network established over thousands of years. But which areas' roads need the most repairs, and where are they taking the longest to repair?

Well, the experts at Blackcircles.com have found out where there are the most roadworks and closures in the UK.

We will also reveal how long, on average, each local authority spent on these closures and roadworks during the 2024 calendar year.

The City of London has the most roadworks

1. City of London Corporation

• 6,111 road works per 10,000 people

The UK local authority with the highest number of roadworks during 2024 is the City of London, with 6,111 per 10,000 of the population. That figure is seven times higher than the next highest local authority.

Although the City of London has one of the smallest populations, even in raw numbers, it had the sixth most roadworks last year, with 8,226.

2. Westminster City Council

• 857 road works per 10,000 people

Another local authority within the English capital, Westminster City Council, came in second place, with 857 roadworks carried out per 10,000 people during 2024.

While not as severe as the City of London, this density of roadworks is still likely disruptive to motorists in the area.

3. Liverpool City Council

• 631 road works per 10,000 people

Third place is Liverpool, where 631 roadworks per 10,000 took place during 2024.

The longest-running of those roadworks was highway improvements made on Allerton Road, outside the Smithdown Place Old Bank building, which lasted 269 calendar days (188 working days).
 

Birmingham roadworks are disrupting motorists

1.  Birmingham City Council

• 90 road closures per 10,000 people

Birmingham is the local authority with the most road closures due to roadworks in 2024, with 90 per 10,000 people.

The longest of these road closures was the works being done on Park Circus, which began in 2023 and concluded earlier this year, taking 770 calendar days to finish.

2. City of London Corporation

• 71 road closures per 10,000 people

In second place is the City of London, which had 71 road closures per 10,000 people due to roadworks throughout last year.

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since the City of London also had the highest density of roadworks among the UK local authorities we analysed.

3. Westminster City Council

• 68 road closures per 10,000 people

In third place is another local authority in the English capital. Motorists in Westminster were subject to 68 road closures per 10,000 during 2024.

This could be attributed to the area's busyness, with higher levels of traffic each day, causing more wear and tear on the roads.
 

Roadworks in Edinburgh take the longest on average

1.  City of Edinburgh Council

• Average duration of road work projects: 80 calendar days

Edinburgh is in first place as the local authority that takes the longest when conducting roadworks. During 2024, the local authority took 80 calendar days on average to wrap up road work projects, meaning motorists in the area may have experienced a large degree of disturbance on their daily commutes.

Of the road closures in the area last year, there was a group of six nearby roads between Pilrig Park and the Hibernian Football Club ground, Easter Road. These works took 1,278 calendar days (903 working days) to complete.

2. Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

• Average duration of road work projects: 45 calendar days

Newcastle upon Tyne takes second place for the average number of days road work projects took during 2024. There were around 125 road works per 10,000 people during the last calendar year, taking an average of 45 calendar days to complete.

The road work taking the longest in the area began in 2023 and is expected to finish in April 2025, totalling 669 calendar days.

3. Southwark Borough Council

• Average duration of road work projects: 34 calendar days

The London borough of Southwark takes the third most time with its road works among local authorities in the UK. There were 238 road works in the borough per 10,000 people during the last calendar year, with works taking an average of 34 calendar days to complete.

The longest-running road work from 2024 began in 2017 on Snowsfields, it is estimated to finish on the 31st of May 2025, which would have seen it take 2,810 calendar days to complete.
 

Road closures last the longest in Aberdeen

1. Aberdeen City Council

• Average length of road closures: 93 calendar days

The Scottish city of Aberdeen is top for the local authorities with the longest road closures.

Last year, road closures lasted for an average of 93 calendar days. The longest roadworks in the area are each expected to finish after around 365 calendar days.

2. Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

• Average length of road closures: 88 calendar days

Newcastle upon Tyne is second among local authorities with the longest road closures. This is surprising given that during 2024, the local council reported just two road closures per 10,000.

Yet, despite this, road closures lasted an average of 88 calendar days. The longest-running road closure in the area took around 548 calendar days.

3. City of Edinburgh Council

• Average length of road closures: 59 calendar days

In third place is the local authority of the City of Edinburgh, which, on average, had roads closed for around 59 calendar days.

The longest road closure in the area was on South St David Street, which will last around 547 calendar days and is expected to end later in 2025.

Roadwork Data

To gather the data for this report, a Freedom of Information request was sent to 78 UK local authorities. The request focused on the number and duration of road works and closures (excluding utility or private works).

Data was collected from 45 authorities, with durations reported in calendar or working days where available.

Data correct as of April 2025.