New £1.8 Billion investment in the Midlands to improve the road network within that region.

Highways England today (Tuesday, September 29) met with suppliers to set out how £1.8 billion of government investment to improve the capacity and condition of roads in the Midlands will be delivered.

The investment will see improvements and repairs along a series of motorways and A roads between now and 2021, giving road users simpler, faster and more reliable journeys. It will also boost the area’s economy and help to bring the country closer together.

The work is part of the government’s ‘Road Investment Strategy’ to triple levels of spending on roads by the end of the decade, which was announced last year. Highways England, the government-owned company which took over responsibility for England’s motorways and major A roads earlier this year, set out its plan for the West Midlands at an event in Birmingham earlier today.

Highlights included:

• improvements planned for M42 junction 6
• new smart motorway around the M42/M40 interchange
• development of a new link road connecting M54, M6 and the M6 Toll
• new, bigger M6 Junction 10
• plans to replace roundabouts at A50 Uttoxeter
• widening of the A500 at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent
• new smart motorway between M6 junctions 13 and 15
• improvements planned for A46 junctions
• a new smart motorway between junction 2 and 4 of the M6
• improvement for the A38 Derby junctions
• widening of the A5 Dodwells to Longshoot
• a new smart motorway between junction 23a and 25 of the M1

Across the Midlands, Highways England will also pump millions into maintenance schemes, environmental improvements and provision for cyclists.

Highways England Regional Director, Tim Harbot said:

“These new schemes will bring huge improvements to journeys around the Midlands.

“The government has committed record funding to specific transport projects here so the Midlands can act as a transport hub for the entire country. As Highways England, we’re delivering that investment to help to unlock billions for the economy by increasing road capacity, improving the flow of traffic and improving safety and accessibility for all road users.”

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said:

“Successive governments have failed to invest the sums necessary in transport. In many parts the system is at capacity. That is why we are committing a record £5.2 billion in total to specific transport projects in the Midlands, so that the region can act as a transport hub for the entire country.

“We’re upgrading key roads like the M1 and the M6 and fixing key road junctions in Derby and Nottingham so hardworking families can have better access to jobs, shops and leisure facilities.”

Planned changes include a major junction improvement at M42 junction 6 to accommodate redevelopment in the area, supporting access to growth at Birmingham Airport and the NEC, and preparing capacity for the new HS2 station and surrounding developments.

Additionally plans for smart motorway at the M42/M40 interchange will remove current congestion and provide further benefits for access and capacity in the area. Smart motorways see the hard shoulder converted into a permanent extra running lane and technology installed to give drivers more reliable journeys. Variable mandatory speed limits will be used to manage traffic speeds and help reduce congestion, whilst enabling safe operation of the motorway.

The development and design of a new link road connecting the M54, M6 and the M6 Toll will reduce congestion at peak times and improve safety on both the A460 and the A449/A5 between the M54 and the M6.

The M6 Junction 10 scheme will provide significant additional capacity at the junction, with part funding from the Black Country’s Local Growth Deal, including the replacement of both bridges allowing the widening of the roundabout to 4 lanes, and giving improved access to the Darlaston Enterprise Zone.

Across the West Midlands, Highways England will spend around £600m on maintenance, including £160m to resurface more than 900 miles of carriageway; £225m for repairing and renewing structures like bridges and viaducts; and £60m to improve vehicle barriers.

Nationally, Highways England’s planned improvements over the first 5 years of operation include:

• 112 major road improvements, including 15 smart motorway projects to provide 280 extra miles of capacity
• resurfacing the majority of the network
• providing a more accessible road system by delivering over 150 new cycling facilities and crossings, including 40 by the end of 2016, and cycle-proofing all our new schemes
• reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the network by 40% from the 2010 baseline

Highways England will also be directly accountable to regulators, including the Office of Rail and Road, which will monitor performance and efficiency, and Transport Focus, which will act as a watchdog for road users.

£2 Billion investment in Highways England road network, to improve the condition and accessibility of the East.

Highways England is meeting with suppliers and stakeholders today (29 September 2015) and on Thursday (1 October 2015) to set out how more than £2 billion of government investment to improve the capacity and condition of roads across the East of England will be delivered.

The investment will see improvements and repairs taking place between now and 2021, giving road users simpler, faster and more reliable journeys. It will also boost the area’s economy and help to bring the country closer together.

The work is part of the government’s ‘Road Investment Strategy’ to triple levels of spending on England’s roads by the end of the decade, which was announced last year.

Highways England, the government-owned company which was set up earlier this year, is detailing its plans for the East of England region at two events at Wyboston Lakes, Bedford and the Grange Hotel, Bury St Edmunds this week. Plans include major improvements on the M11, A5 and M1, A1(M), A12, A14, A47 and A428.

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said:

“As part of our long term economic plan, we are making the biggest investment in roads in a generation. The £2 billion investment in the East of England between 2015 and 2021 will significantly improve journeys and help create jobs.

“Through schemes like these we are creating opportunities for hardworking people across the nation and driving economic growth.”

Ken Simmonds, Highways England’s Director of Major Projects in the South and East, added:

“These improvements will bring significant long term benefits to road users on motorways and major A roads in the East of England, as well as to local residents and the economy as a whole. They will create vital links at local, regional and national level to unlock growth, increase capacity and tackle congestion.

“We’ll look to deliver these schemes with local communities in mind, using designated funds where relevant to address environmental issues and air quality.

“The construction work will, of course, bring some disruption in the short term but we will ensure that we keep this to a minimum to keep traffic flowing.

“When the schemes are completed, road users will experience safer, more reliable and less congested journeys.”

Some of the schemes such as the A5-M1 Link Dunstable Northern Bypass in Bedfordshire are already under way. This scheme involves the building of a new link between 2 major roads north of Dunstable, helping reduce congestion and boost economic growth.

Schemes due to start in the region by 2019/20 include:

• A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon major improvements in Cambridgeshire – this scheme, subject to statutory processes, will involve building a new bypass to the south of Huntingdon and widening some of the existing carriageway near Cambridge, as well as the A1 between Brampton and Alconbury.
• upgrading 6 sections of the A47/A12 corridor in Norfolk across a 115 mile section of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth. This will include converting almost 8 miles of single carriageway to dual carriageway and making improvements to 3 junctions, relieving congestion and increasing journey time reliability
• increasing capacity on the A1(M) providing an additional 14 lane miles to relieve congestion in Hertfordshire, including Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City
• upgrading technology at junctions on the M11 across Essex and Cambridgeshire, from Stansted Airport to Cambridge, which will improve safety, relieve congestion and support plans for additional housing. We will also improve junction 7 for Harlow to increase capacity
• providing technology along the A12 in Essex and Suffolk from the M25 to Ipswich and widening the stretch between Chelmsford and the A120 to 3 lanes, adding 30 miles of additional lane capacity, improving safety, reducing congestion and supporting economic growth
• providing a new 13 mile stretch of dual carriageway on the A428 between western Cambridgeshire and the north east of Bedfordshire, relieving congestion, improving safety and supporting significant levels of planned economic growth in the area
• building 17 new cycle paths across our region including along parts of the A12, A47, A120 and A5.

Highways England East Divisional Director Catherine Brookes, added:

It’s vital that we continue to improve the existing road network which is why we’re also investing millions of pounds on resurfacing, safety barriers and other maintenance projects across the whole Eastern region.

We’ll be spending more than £81 million this year alone on maintenance and smaller scale improvement schemes. Motorways and trunk roads form the backbone of the region’s economy and this huge investment will ensure they remain healthy for many years to come, as well as improve safety and journey reliability.

And because our roads aren’t just about cars and lorries, we’re also investing £4 million in the East to improve facilities for cyclists.