Representing 22 councils in the region, the body is requesting nearly £596m funding from the £3.5bn national fund available from 2020-2025.

The schemes, which will cost £739m to build, include new bypasses, widening roads at congestion hotspots, improving junctions and roundabouts, new links between existing stretches of road and better pedestrian and cycling facilities.

The extra cost of around £143m will be raised locally from a mixture of public and private sector sources.

An eighth major roads network scheme. the A614 Ollerton to Lowdham improvements in Nottinghamshire, has already received a funding commitment of £18m from the government, announced last autumn.

Midlands Connect is encouraging the government to allocate funding for shortlisted schemes as soon as possible to ensure their smooth delivery.

Simon Statham, head of technical programmes at Midlands Connect, said: “Objectives for the funding include understanding how a scheme will create improvements for all road users, not just cars, and improve air quality by reducing congestion.”

“By speaking with a collective voice on behalf of the Midlands, we believe each of the schemes submitted has provided all the evidence the government needs to fund them in full, and we expect to be celebrating a £600m investment in to the region to help our local authorities get on and deliver this transformational programme of upgrades.”