Skip to main content

Highways Agency’s 57 road improvements set to give £3bn boost to UK economy

The Highways Agency is to deliver 57 vital road improvements said to equate to a near US $ 4.83 billion (£3bn) boost to the UK economy. The $ 274.25 million (£170mn) investment is part of a $ 350.07 million (£217) million programme to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. Many of the improvements will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, and they will all be completed by March 2015. The announcement brings the total number of schemes to receive investment from the Go
October 8, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 2309 Highways Agency is to deliver 57 vital road improvements said to equate to a near US $ 4.83 billion (£3bn) boost to the UK economy.

The $ 274.25 million (£170mn) investment is part of a $ 350.07 million (£217) million programme to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads.

Many of the improvements will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, and they will all be completed by March 2015. The announcement brings the total number of schemes to receive investment from the Government's pinch point fund to 65. A third stage of projects will be announced next year.

Unveiling the major road improvements programme, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: These £217 million road improvements prove the Government’s determination to accelerate growth and cut congestion.

“Keeping traffic moving is vital to securing prosperity. By removing bottlenecks and improving access to local enterprise zones, key international trading ports and communities, these road schemes will help get people to and from work and power the economy. They also have the potential to help deliver more than 300,000 new jobs and 150,000 new homes."

The improvements include a $ 17.74 million (£11mn) scheme to widen and improve junction 4 of the M5 near Bromsgrove, with significant benefits for Longbridge, former home of the MG Rover manufacturing plant. It will support a local authority and local enterprise partnership development plan that aims to create around 10,000 jobs and 3,000 homes in the region.

At junction 5 of the M27, near Eastleigh, a $7.9 million (£4.9m) scheme will reduce congestion by widening approach roads and slips roads and providing a segregated left turn lane onto the M27 eastbound. This supports several local development plans, including Solent Enterprise Zone, Eastleigh Riverside, Southampton Airport and Southampton City Centre, with the potential to create around 12,000 jobs and 7,000 homes.

These improvement schemes form part of the Government's growth initiative outlined during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November 2011. Funds have been allocated to the Highways Agency to undertake focused improvements to the strategic road network.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Installation underway of first UK M4/M5 ‘superspan’ gantries
    July 4, 2012
    The installation is underway of the first superspan gantries on the M4/M5 managed motorway scheme. The existing gantries and infrastructure were successfully removed last month while the new steel gantries were being constructed, fitted-out and tested at a dedicated facility located near junction 17 of the M5, before being delivered to the works site. A total of 33 new overhead gantries, a number of which span 50m and weigh over 30tonnes, will be installed along the new managed motorway section up until T
  • Upgrades to start on Bromsgrove A38 corridor
    August 14, 2023
    UK government commits €50 million for work on the 6.5km stretch of the A38 in England.
  • Portsmouth bridge gets cash boost
    December 17, 2012
    Major improvements are planned to tackle a traffic bottleneck on the Northern Road Bridge in Portsmouth, on the English south coast, after the government pledged €13.73 million [£11 million] for the project. The Department for Transport has given final approval to the scheme which will see work on a replacement bridge over the Portsmouth to London railway line at Cosham. The original bridge was built to carry a dual carriageway road but is now too weak to do so. Traffic has been restricted to a single lane
  • Ringway wins contract for A57 Todwick Bypass in northern England
    July 23, 2012
    Ringway has won the contract to build a dual carriageway bypass to ease congestion and improve motorist safety on a notorious section of the A57 in Rotherham, northern England. The US$21.86million (£14mn) A57 Todwick Bypass scheme, contracted out by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, will create a new near 1.6km dual carriageway running from junction 31 of the M1 to the A57’s junction with the B6463.