Skip to main content

New strategic road links planned for UK

New road upgrades are planned in the UK to reduce congestion and improve safety for vehicle drivers. Upgrades will be carried out to the A1 west of the city of Newcastle, the A12 in Essex to the east of capital London and the M62 motorway that connects the cities of Manchester and Leeds. Studies will be carried out first to identify the needs for other routes forming the country’s strategic road network. The necessary strategy will be produced for all routes in the second quarter of 2014, allowing a network
May 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
New road upgrades are planned in the UK to reduce congestion and improve safety for vehicle drivers. Upgrades will be carried out to the A1 west of the city of Newcastle, the A12 in Essex to the east of capital London and the M62 motorway that connects the cities of Manchester and Leeds. Studies will be carried out first to identify the needs for other routes forming the country’s strategic road network. The necessary strategy will be produced for all routes in the second quarter of 2014, allowing a network-wide assessment of problems and challenges and an overview of the steps needed to be taken to address problems. The study will also be used to prioritise solutions to be delivered during the next spending review period and beyond. An evidence based approach to assessing challenges on a network-wide basis will allow the 2309 Highways Agency and the 5432 Department for Transport to prioritise operational, maintenance and if appropriate, road improvement schemes, helping to inform investment plans for the next full spending review in 2015.

Meanwhile work on a new link road will go ahead in Taunton after receiving final approval. The work is needed to improve east-west connections across Taunton and open up access to new development. The scheme will see Somerset County Council construct a new road linking Staplegrove Road in the west of the town to Priory Avenue in the east. The work involves the construction of 1.6km of new carriageway and the realignment of a further 150m of existing carriageway. It also includes construction of a new bridge over the River Tone and the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, the replacement of a former rail bridge, the replacement of and existing footbridge and provision of pedestrian and cycle facilities. Other works include a new roundabout at the junction of Staplegrove Road and Chip Lane and modifications to the existing roundabout at the junction of Priory Avenue and Priory Fields.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mott MacDonald Grontmij is handling key improvement scheme in UK
    May 16, 2013
    The Mott MacDonald Grontmij joint venture is working on plans for a € 189 million (£160 million) upgrade of the A63 Castle Street in the UK city of Hull. The partners were appointed by the Highways Agency to develop proposals for the scheme, which is intended to reduce journey times to the Port of Hull, ease congestion and improve safety on the city centre section of the A63. The route is currently one of the busiest sections of road in East Yorkshire. This 1.5km dual carriageway runs in an east-west direct
  • Ireland’s €2 billion motorway linking Cork and Limerick
    July 5, 2024
    Ireland is planning €2 billion motorway linking Cork and Limerick
  • Boost to infrastructure, autonomous cars in UK budget
    March 17, 2016
    The UK chancellor announced in his spring budget what he called the biggest investment, US$87.5 billion (£61 billion), in transport infrastructure in generations and is increasing capital investment in the transport network by 50 per cent over this Parliament compared to the last. The government plans to establish the UK as a global centre for excellence in connected and autonomous vehicles by establishing a US$24.1 million (£15 million) ‘connected corridor’ from London to Dover to enable vehicles to com
  • Economic gains from widening the A453 in Nottingham, England
    August 12, 2014
    Work is well underway on turning a busy just over 11km two-lane link road from the city of Nottingham to Junction 24 of the M1 in Leicestershire, England into a four-lane highway. The widened highway will relieve considerable peak-time congestion for travellers to Nottingham, the M1 and East Midlands Airport while also making journeys safer and more reliable. Guy Woodford reports Used by up to 30,000 vehicles a day, the A453 is renowned for congestion at peak travel times. But years of day-to-day commuter a