Details on £15bn roads revamp released

The government is investing in more than 100 new road schemes over this parliament and next, 84 of which are new. Over 1,300 new lane miles will be added.

These plans are published in the first ever Road investment strategy.

This includes £1.5 billion of investment to add an extra lane onto key motorways to turn them into smart motorways, boosting connectivity between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Yorkshire.

Patrick McLoughlin 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.”

New projects include:

• A commitment of £2 billion to dual the A303 and A358 to the south west, including a tunnel at Stonehenge. This will allow roads users to drive on a dual carriageway from London to within 15 miles of Land’s End.

• Setting aside £290 million to complete the dualling of the A1 from London to Ellingham, 25 miles from the Scottish border.

• Improving links to the Port of Liverpool, as part of a plan of 12 projects designed to improve access to major international gateways.

The Freight Transport Association said it was "good news for the freight and logistics sector”.

Malcolm Bingham – FTA head of road network management policy said: "Our challenge now is to make sure that these announced schemes are taken forward and the work that will be inevitable during construction is done with the minimum of disruption.”

The Road Haulage Association also welcomed the Government’s investment. However, it maintains that without the comparatively minimal sum of £150m to train desperately needed truck drivers it will not be the UK’s hauliers that benefit from the improvements but those based in continental Europe and conducting business in the UK.

Commenting, RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett said: "For those operating in the road transport and logistics sector, time is money. Ours is an industry that is time critical and today’s announcement will come as good news to UK hauliers. The plans to tackle congestion and fix some of the most notorious and longstanding problem areas on the network are particularly welcome. 

"However, road improvements are just part of the jigsaw. The fact remains that this industry is now facing a critical driver shortage. While road improvements and road building are good news, they will have little effect on the industry that, quite literally moves the economy forward if there are not enough HGV drivers to take advantage of the improvements. We need government to invest in training for drivers. This announcement makes it clear that the money is there – it makes sense that funding for training is made available.

"The Road Haulage Association is asking the Chancellor for an industry investment of less than £150 million. This would provide training for the 45,000 drivers the industry so desperately needs. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the announced £15 billion spend.

"As well as increased capacity and a transformation of the busiest sections of the network, we welcome the government move to transform the Highways Agency into a government-owned company. This will mean funding can be allocated on a longer term basis, saving the taxpayer at least £2.6 billion over the next ten years. 

"The planned improvements, repairs and expansion of Britain’s infrastructure will provide much needed employment opportunities across the entire road system. But it is essential that these schemes are completed on time, on budget and with as little disruption to the already clogged road network.”