Government pledges £27 billion to fix England’s motorways
England’s major roads receive huge funding to fix potholes, but local roads are being left behind...
The UK Government has announced a £27 billion investment into fixing the Strategic Road Network, aiming to “upgrade and future-proof” England’s motorways and major A-roads.
Dubbed the Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), the plan will be spread across five years and will fund major schemes that will resurface roads, fix potholes and replace worn-out stretches of motorway. It will focus on around 5600 miles of road managed by National Highways, and a portion of the funding will be used to renew existing roads and support schemes on local roads.
The projects include transforming the A66 between Cumbria and North Yorkshire from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway between the M6 and A1(M) junctions, renewing ageing bridges on the M6 and adding funds to the private investment for the new Lower Thames Crossing, which will connect Kent and Essex through a tunnel under the River Thames in an attempt to ease pressure on the Dartford Crossing.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “This huge £27 billion investment in our roads will secure the future of our road network for years to come.”
This announcement comes after the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) published its annual ALARM report, in which it stated the cost to repair local roads in England and Wales now sits at £18.6 billion and would take 12 years to clear. The £28 billion pledged this week by the Department for Transport focuses largely on major roads, while a £7.3 billion investment into local infrastructure was promised over the next four years in the Spending Review.
The AIA said in a statement: “RIS3 continues to provide National Highways, which manages the [Strategic Road Network], with sustained and targeted investment supported by a long-term funding horizon, allowing it to implement a planned, proactive approach to the maintenance of this infrastructure – exactly what we’ve been calling for for local roads.
“I think most road users would agree that achieving the same ambition on our local road network – which makes up more than 97% of roads in England – is a very, very long way off.
“The Government’s pledge to allocate £7.3 billion over the next four years to local roads is an important step forward. However, it will be some time before the impact of increased funding levels, if fully delivered, will be noticed by the public. However, the dial could be moved quicker if the Government’s commitment to additional funding was frontloaded, rather than ramping up in the years to 2030.”
