The road agency has set out a special interim spending plan for 25/26 after the government delayed the third Road Investment Strategy for a full spending review.
National Highways said RIS3 would now be more focussed on maintaining and renewing the existing road network than previous investment periods.
Total funding allocated to National Highways in the year ahead will be £4.842bn, of which £1.455bn is for resource and £3.387bn for capital schemes.
Capital spend on operations, maintenance and renewals will be £1.951bn, with a further £1.315bn channelled into key network enhancements
The two major project starts will be big junction improvements.
VolkerFitzpatrick/Balfour Beatty joint venture will deliver the largest worth around £280m on the M3 at junction 9.
The second project valued at over £100m is the A47 Thickthorn Junction, near Norwich to be delivered by Skanska.
Seven more committed schemes from RIS2 remain in the programme but are not ready to start works until after this week’s Spending Review, which will determine the funding available for RIS3.
Enhancement plan for 2025/26
Starting works
- M3 Junction 9 – South East
- A47 Thickthorn Junction – East
In construction
- A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet – East
- A46 Coventry Junctions – Midlands
- Mottram Moor Link Road & A57 Link Road – North West
- M25 Junction 10 South East A417 Air Balloon – South West
- M42 Junction 6 – Midlands
- A47 North Tuddenham to Easton – East
- A47 Blofield to North Burlingham – East
- A52 Nottingham Junctions – Midlands
In development during 2025/26.*
- A38 Derby Junctions – Midlands
- M54-M6 Link Road – Midlands
- A66 Northern Trans-Pennine – North West
- A46 Newark Bypass – Midlands
- M60/M62/M66 Simister Island Interchange – North West
- A47 Wansford to Sutton – East
- A12 Chelmsford to A120 – East
*Subject to Spending Review.
National Highways will advance 27 new renewal schemes to design, development or construction, all but one will be worth less than £50m.
Over the next road period, National Highways said it would advance more larger renewal schemes including strategic and high-profile bridges, structures and viaducts.
One particular example is the Lune Gorge scheme on the M6 that will start works in 2025/26 and the M27 Concrete Road programme coming to completion during the year.
National Highways also plans to replace 1,315 lane-kilometres of asphalt road surface, complete 22 lane-kilometres of concrete road reconstruction and mitigate 41 flooding hotspots.
The year’s plan includes installing 261km of vehicle restraint systems.
