UK government to invest in M5 and M6 motorways

The UK government is planning to make improvements to the M5 and M6 as part of its US$150.41 billion (£100bn) infrastructure spending programme. Changes will include motorists being allowed to drive on the hard shoulder, with computerised signs being installed to inform them when it is safe to do so. The Government has also confirmed that it will provide funding for a new link road between the M6 Toll and the M54, while $8.94 billion (£6bn) will be put towards repairing roads and $5.96 billion (£4bn) will b
July 9, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The UK government is planning to make improvements to the M5 and M6 as part of its US$150.41 billion (£100bn) infrastructure spending programme. Changes will include motorists being allowed to drive on the hard shoulder, with computerised signs being installed to inform them when it is safe to do so.

The Government has also confirmed that it will provide funding for a new link road between the M6 Toll and the M54, while $8.94 billion (£6bn) will be put towards repairing roads and $5.96 billion (£4bn) will be put towards resurfacing major national roads.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about proposed tolling on the A14 in Suffolk and its impact on the local economy and particularly the Port of Felixstowe. The redevelopment project is expected to cost around US$2.3 billion (£1.5bn). Graham Newman, Suffolk County Council roads and transport cabinet member, has expressed concerns that hauliers could decide to operate at ports in Essex and Southend rather than pay road tolls to get to and from Felixstowe. The Council will shortly outline its funding proposals for its share of the project.

Related Content

  • ACE/AECOM report: private sector and user-pay for English roads
    May 14, 2018
    It’s one minute to midnight for funding England’s roads, according to a timely new report, and the clock’s big hand is pointing to some form of user-pay solution, reports David Arminas Is there any way out of future user-pay funding for England’s highway infrastructure? The answer is a resounding ‘no’, according to the recently published report: Funding Roads for the Future. The brief 25-page document by the London-based Association for Consultancy and Engineering, ACE**, sums up the state of England’s ro
    Read More
  • US city of Vancouver approves new I-5 bridge
    July 18, 2022
    Vancouver in the US state of Washington and Portland in the state of Oregon are aiming for a new road bridge with the possibility of accommodating light rail transport.
    Read More
  • Euromarket stable until 2020, predicts Euroconstruct
    December 13, 2018
    Analysts predict strong growth in road building up to 2020 as public finances improve. Graham Anderson reports from Helsinki European civil engineering markets – including road building and maintenance - are predicted to grow strongly between now and 2020 thanks to the increasing strength of EU members states’ national economies. The increasingly optimistic forecasts are contained in the latest construction industry research from construction market analyst Euroconstruct, based in the Finnish capital Hel
    Read More
  • Highways England: new agency with long-term investment strategies
    August 18, 2015
    Highways England, created out of the old Highways Agency, was set up on April 1 to oversee a closer relationship between government client and private contractors. World Highways went to a recent forum in London to hear both sides declare their hopes and challenges. Government reforms are often met with a certain amount of scepticism thanks to years of disillusionment over forgotten ministerial promises. Given that, highway contractors in the UK could have been forgiven if they had raised their eyes skyward
    Read More

Highlighted Content