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UK government’s Highways Agency makeover to boost infrastructure

The government plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Network Rail-style public company as part of its efforts to boost national transport infrastructure. While the government has revealed plans for a long-term investment totalling €32.37 billion (£28 billion) in road-building, few projects are ‘shovel-ready’, with much of the investment backloaded until 2020. Funding levels will increase to more than €3.46 billion (£3 billion) a year by the end of the decade for major A-roads and motorways. The legislati
July 17, 2013 Read time: 1 min
The government plans to turn the 2309 Highways Agency into a 4139 Network Rail-style public company as part of its efforts to boost national transport infrastructure.

While the government has revealed plans for a long-term investment totalling €32.37 billion (£28 billion) in road-building, few projects are ‘shovel-ready’, with much of the investment backloaded until 2020. Funding levels will increase to more than €3.46 billion (£3 billion) a year by the end of the decade for major A-roads and motorways. The legislation will not include proposals for tolling. The government says maintenance and construction industry will have confidence with a free-standing Highways Agency and a ringfenced budget. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, an additional €576.54 million (£500 million) will be pledged.

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