An ambitious £15 billion plan to triple levels of spending by the end of the decade to increase the capacity and condition of England’s roads, was announced to Parliament today (1 December 2014) by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

The Midlands will benefit from 17 new schemes worth around £1.4 billion, creating an estimated 900 construction jobs.

Patrick McLoughlin said:

Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve the network and unlock Britain’s economic potential.

Roads are key to our nation’s prosperity. For too long they have suffered from under-investment.

This government has a long term plan to secure the country’s future and this £15 billion roads programme is demonstration of that. It will directly benefit hardworking families across the Midlands.

This is the biggest investment in roads in a generation and will update major corridors in the Midlands including the M6 and M1, connecting key cities to Manchester, London Sheffield and Leeds.

Chair of the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said:

World class infrastructure is vital if we are to build a stronger economy, but it matters in other ways too. It invigorates communities and gives people more opportunities to get on in life. This is why I have ensured that this government has prioritised funding roads, and railways, at a high level for future generations.

For decades our roads have suffered from under investment, so I’m particularly delighted to be able to announce this expansive range of new road schemes today. Investment on this scale is only possible because we have taken the difficult decisions needed to control our public finances and stuck to our recovery plan which is now delivering strong growth and record numbers of jobs.

These projects, like the improvement scheme on the M1 motorway, will help unleash the economic potential of both the regions they serve and of the overall economy.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said:

I promised when I was in the Midlands that we would address this area’s economic needs for the future.

Our Long term-economic plan means today we can invest £1.4 billion into the region’s infrastructure to improve, repair and expand our roads.

Our plans will transform some of the country’s most important strategic routes. Ambitious projects, such as the expansion of the M6, M1 and M42, as well as spending on important local infrastructure will boost productivity and help the local economy of the Midlands.

For years our roads have been neglected. Now that this government is fixing the economy, we can afford to invest properly in our roads – unlocking jobs and local growth by creating a road network that is fit for the 21st century.

A radical overhaul began in 2010 with the following improvements in the area:

• Catthorpe, where the M1, M6 and A14 meet, is the most strategically important junction on the network, and is midway through a £190 million upgrade
• half the ‘Birmingham Box’ on the M6 and M42 now has its hard shoulder open to traffic to improve flow
• work is almost complete on the A453 dual carriageway, a major link between the East Midlands, Nottingham, Derby, Stoke, Birmingham, and East Midlands Airport

Spending during the next parliament on the local and national roads network across the Midlands will be boosted further by maintenance funding worth £2.4 billion.

Highlights of today’s announcement are:

• expansion of the M6 junction 10 to help 10 key employment sites within a 10 minute radius, and will create 2,500 new homes helping to support economic growth
• major improvements to junction 6 on the M42, providing better access to Birmingham, and Coventry, supporting Birmingham airport and the NEC and providing capacity for the expected HS2 station
• the extension of East Midlands’ smart motorways, will open up the hard shoulder on the M1 between junctions 23A and 25, reduce congestion and increase capacity – a further scheme, funded by the developers of the proposed Roxhill rail freight interchange, will transform junctions 24 and 24A, helping to fix one of the worst bottlenecks in the region
• longer-term, full enhancement of the M1 to smart motorway across the whole of the Midlands, placing Nottingham, Derby and Leicester at the heart of a smart motorway corridor linking Manchester, Yorkshire and London – as part of this, major improvements to M1 junction 21 in Leicester will greatly improve the links between the M1 and M69, improving access to the city and supporting local housing growth
• planning will begin to dual the Newark northern bypass, and replace the A46 junction with the A1, which will support nearby housing growth and improve links from the A1 to Lincoln
• in Northamptonshire, a new A14 junction 10A, dualling of the A45 to the A14 and improvements to the Chowns Mill roundabout on the A45 and A6 will allow growth in Kettering and Rushden
• enhancing the A38 in Derby to create a new expressway from north Derbyshire to the West Midlands and greatly improving journeys within the city for local residents

Detail of the Midlands road schemes

Midlands road investment infographics and images.

Related information

• Biggest upgrade to roads in a generation, press release
• Road investment strategy
• Roads reform