Government announces biggest roads upgrade in a generation

£15 billion ‘Road investment strategy’ to increase capacity and improve condition of England’s roads

AN ambitious £15 billion plan to triple levels of spending by the end of the decade to increase the capacity and condition of England’s roads, was announced to Parliament on Monday 1 December by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

The Government has said it plans to invest in more than 100 new road schemes over this parliament and the next, 84 of which are brand new. More than 1,300 new lane miles will be added by schemes being delivered over the next parliament on motorways and trunk roads, tackling congestion and fixing some of the most notorious and long-standing problem areas on the network.

The plans published this week are in the first-ever ‘Road Investment Strategy’, which has been developed to ‘keep the population connected and the economy growing’. They include £1.5 billion of investment to add an extra lane on to key motorways, boosting connectivity between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Yorkshire.

Speaking on Monday, Patrick McLoughlin (pictured) said: ‘Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve our road network and unlock Britain’s economic potential.

‘Roads are key to our nation’s prosperity. For too long they have suffered from under-investment. This government has a long-term plan to secure the country’s future and this £15 billion roads programme is a demonstration of that.’

New projects announced on Monday include:

• South West: a commitment of £2 billion to dual the entire A303 and A358 to the South West, including a tunnel at Stonehenge
• North East: setting aside £290 million to complete the dualling of the A1 all the way from London to Ellingham, some 25 miles from the Scottish border
• North West and Yorkshire: completing the smart motorway along the entire length of the M62 from Manchester to Leeds, together with improvements to trans-Pennine capacity from Manchester to Sheffield
• North West: committing to improve links to the Port of Liverpool, as part of a plan for 12 projects designed to improve access to major international trade gateways
• South East: funding £350 million of improvements to the A27 along the south coast to tackle severe congestion at Arundel, Worthing and Lewes
• East of England: investing £300 million to upgrade the east–west connection to Norfolk by dualling sections of the A47 and improving its connections to the A1 and A11
• London and the South East: improving one-third of the junctions on the M25
• Midlands: improvements to the M42 to the east of Birmingham, improving connectivity to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre, and paving the way for the new High Speed 2 interchange station.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said: ‘Our long-term economic plan means we can invest an unprecedented £15 billion into Britain’s infrastructure to improve, repair and expand our roads.

‘Our plans will transform some of the country’s most important strategic routes, with ambitious projects to dual the A303, A1, A27 and A47, as well as spending on important local infrastructure, boosting productivity and helping local economies.

‘For years our roads have been neglected. Now that this government is fixing the economy, we can afford to invest properly in our roads – unlocking jobs for the future and local growth by creating a road network that is fit for the 21st century.’

The 84 new road projects outlined this week are designed to improve connectivity across the UK, from the North East to the South West. The new investment, broken down by region, comprises:

• North East and Yorkshire: 18 schemes worth around £2.3 billion and estimated to create 1,500 construction jobs
• North West: nine schemes worth £800 million and estimated to create 600 jobs
• Midlands: 17 schemes worth £1.4 billion and estimated to create 900 jobs
• East of England: 15 schemes worth £1.5 billion and estimated to create 1,000 jobs
• London and South East: 18 schemes worth £1.4 billion and estimated to create 900 jobs
• South West: seven schemes worth £2 billion and estimated to create 1,300 jobs.

Commenting on the plans, Dr Diana Montgomery, chief executive of the Construction Products Association, said: ‘We are encouraged by the announcement of a £15 billion Road Investment Strategy. The road-building plan is the largest in a generation, but key to this ambition is delivery of projects and the need for government to set-up the Highways Agency with ring-fenced funding. This will help provide the market with the certainty it requires.’