Roads Minister John Hayes has announced a £24 billion investment in the UK highways network, with plans to significantly increase road capacity by 2021.
Under Government plans around 900 extra lane miles of capacity will be added to the network, with annual funding for improvements to motorways and major A roads set to triple over the next six years.
£9 billion has been set aside for road maintenance, with £6 billion of that to be spent on resurfacing 3,000 miles of the national road network. The plans will see 60 new road schemes delivered, with most expected to be completed by the 2021 target.
As part of the road improvement plans, the Government is considering solutions to road chaos in well-known hotspots like the A303 in the South West, and the A47 in the East of England.
Savings to the taxpayer of over £2.6 billion in the coming decade are also anticipated as a result of the transformation of the Highways Agency into a government-owned company, with the aim of making it more accountable to Parliament.
“As a crucial part of our long-term economic plan to secure a brighter future for Britain, we are fixing problems that have been created by governments of the past by delivering around 35 per cent more capacity on our roads than was delivered in the nine years up to 2010,” said Roads Minister John Hayes.
“It is because of the difficult decisions that this Government has taken that we are able to triple investment in our major roads to over £3 billion a year up to 2021. We're doing this with great care for our environment. This extra capacity will be achieved mainly by the use of smart motorways and selective widening to minimise the environmental impact. This government will oversee more work, more safety, and more improvements on our roads. This will benefit hard-working people and businesses, help ease congestion and create a road network fit for the 21st century and beyond."
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