Six in 10 major road upgrades pledged in 2014 ‘have not begun’
‘Network will grind to a halt’
CONSTRUCTION has not even begun on six in ten of the major road upgrades promised by the Government more than two and a half years ago.
Ministers pledged the ‘biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades’ but motoring campaign groups have become frustrated by the slow progress and are worried that upgrades will be delayed or even scrapped.
Some 90 major projects have been announced since 2014 as part of a £15.2billion spending spree designed to reduce congestion and speed up journeys. But just 36 are under construction, according to one analysis. This is disputed by Whitehall.
Projects yet to start include junction improvements on the M25, M2, M20, M4, M42 and M6. Others include the Arundel bypass, one of several schemes to reduce congestion on the A27, and a new road linking the M54 in the West Midlands to the M6 toll road. Another ten projects are in the ‘preparation’ stages but building has not yet started.
The Road Investment Strategy was announced in December 2014, with ministers promising more than 100 major schemes to ‘enhance, renew and improve the network’.
The RAC says the road network could ‘grind to a halt’ if these upgrades are not completed quickly.
Its roads policy spokesman Nicholas Lyes said: ‘Motorists who were promised upgrades to the network before 2020 will rightly be concerned that many of these schemes have not yet even started.
‘We welcome the fact that the Government’s plans are ambitious, but motorists that were promised improved journey times, safer roads and increased capacity will be unforgiving if schemes are delayed or even shelved. With traffic volumes already at record levels, there is a real risk our network will grind to a halt if we don’t get on with these critical upgrades soon.’
The National Audit Office, the government spending watchdog, warned in March that the strategy was under pressure and suggested that some schemes would need to be dropped.
This was dismissed at the time by Highways England and the Department for Transport.
But the latest figures, from an analysis of data from roads study group CBRD.co.uk by the Liberal Democrats and the House of Commons Library, have fuelled concerns that some of the road projects will be ditched. Jack Cousens, a roads policy spokesman for the AA, said: ‘The nation’s roads are in desperate need of upgrading and the dragging of heels isn’t helping. It seems that drivers have been over-promised the investment needed to improve the network.
‘Drivers across the country will be frustrated that even after clear promises were made, upgrades to heavily congested roads could now be delayed or scrapped altogether.’
Ministers have given themselves plenty of breathing space in terms of deadlines for road building. Some projects are due to start at any time before March 2020, with no finish date specified.
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, said: ‘This shows the government is on the road to nowhere. Perhaps ministers think they can’t afford to keep their promises but investment in our roads would get the economy moving again.’
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: ‘The CBRD figures are wrong and the Department for Transport does not recognise them. Schemes flagged as being “on hold” are in fact under way and progressing well.