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| Roads funding: £15bn to be spent on schemes for England | Roads funding: £15bn to be spent on schemes for England |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A tunnel on the A303 at Stonehenge is among dozens of new road plans to be announced by the government, as part of a £15bn "roads revolution" for England. | A tunnel on the A303 at Stonehenge is among dozens of new road plans to be announced by the government, as part of a £15bn "roads revolution" for England. |
| The money - initially announced in 2013 - will involve 100 road improvement schemes and add 1,300 new miles of extra lanes to motorways and A roads. | The money - initially announced in 2013 - will involve 100 road improvement schemes and add 1,300 new miles of extra lanes to motorways and A roads. |
| The projects include the tunnel to tackle a bottleneck at Stonehenge on the A303 and improved M25 junctions. | The projects include the tunnel to tackle a bottleneck at Stonehenge on the A303 and improved M25 junctions. |
| Labour said the coalition's record was one of "all talk and no delivery". | Labour said the coalition's record was one of "all talk and no delivery". |
| 'Biggest and boldest' | 'Biggest and boldest' |
| The tunnel near the historic Stonehenge site in Wiltshire is among the 84 new projects announced, with the government saying the £15bn would be spent over the next five years. | The tunnel near the historic Stonehenge site in Wiltshire is among the 84 new projects announced, with the government saying the £15bn would be spent over the next five years. |
| The plans include improvements designed to tackle congestion on the A27 along the south coast and better links into Port of Liverpool. There will also be more money to upgrade the A1 in the North East. | The plans include improvements designed to tackle congestion on the A27 along the south coast and better links into Port of Liverpool. There will also be more money to upgrade the A1 in the North East. |
| Announcing the plan, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said roads were "key to our nation's prosperity" and had suffered from under-investment for too long. | Announcing the plan, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said roads were "key to our nation's prosperity" and had suffered from under-investment for too long. |
| "Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve our road network and unlock Britain's economic potential," he said. | "Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve our road network and unlock Britain's economic potential," he said. |
| Chancellor George Osborne said it would "transform some of the country's most important strategic routes". | Chancellor George Osborne said it would "transform some of the country's most important strategic routes". |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent | Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent |
| This is a large amount of money and a large number of schemes. The big question now, from many I've spoken to in the industry, is will they see it through? | This is a large amount of money and a large number of schemes. The big question now, from many I've spoken to in the industry, is will they see it through? |
| Governments have a habit of announcing big plans for the roads, only to shelve them later on when the money gets tight. | Governments have a habit of announcing big plans for the roads, only to shelve them later on when the money gets tight. |
| It happened in the late 1980s when Margaret Thatcher promised the largest road building programme since the Romans. | It happened in the late 1980s when Margaret Thatcher promised the largest road building programme since the Romans. |
| The last Labour government was also going to build a tunnel under Stonehenge, until the costs got silly. | The last Labour government was also going to build a tunnel under Stonehenge, until the costs got silly. |
| Even this coalition started life by announcing road maintenance budget cuts and cancelling projects. | Even this coalition started life by announcing road maintenance budget cuts and cancelling projects. |
| Upcoming changes to the Highways Agency, giving it a guaranteed budget every five years, are meant to put an end to all that uncertainty. | Upcoming changes to the Highways Agency, giving it a guaranteed budget every five years, are meant to put an end to all that uncertainty. |
| The plans, described as a "roads revolution" by ministers, have been published in the first ever Road Investment Strategy. | The plans, described as a "roads revolution" by ministers, have been published in the first ever Road Investment Strategy. |
| They are designed to tackle congestion and fix some of the most notorious trouble spots on the country's roads, the government said. | They are designed to tackle congestion and fix some of the most notorious trouble spots on the country's roads, the government said. |
| Among the major plans are: | Among the major plans are: |
| Motoring groups welcomed the plans. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "This is not about concreting over the countryside with new roads but upgrading many existing routes which have been the source of misery to motorists for years if not decades. | Motoring groups welcomed the plans. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "This is not about concreting over the countryside with new roads but upgrading many existing routes which have been the source of misery to motorists for years if not decades. |
| "That the government is investing money along whole lengths of roads and not just a mile or two here and there is to be welcomed." | "That the government is investing money along whole lengths of roads and not just a mile or two here and there is to be welcomed." |
| AA president Edmund King said the UK's roads carried 86% of passenger journeys and more than 90% of freight, and problem roads could no longer be ignored. | AA president Edmund King said the UK's roads carried 86% of passenger journeys and more than 90% of freight, and problem roads could no longer be ignored. |
| 'Re-announcement' | 'Re-announcement' |
| But shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher said it was "yet another re-announcement" on road improvements, and in reality "no additional money has been announced". | But shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher said it was "yet another re-announcement" on road improvements, and in reality "no additional money has been announced". |
| "We know David Cameron's record on infrastructure is one of all talk and no delivery. Infrastructure output has fallen significantly since May 2010 and less than a third of projects in the Government's pipeline are actually classed as 'in construction'. | "We know David Cameron's record on infrastructure is one of all talk and no delivery. Infrastructure output has fallen significantly since May 2010 and less than a third of projects in the Government's pipeline are actually classed as 'in construction'. |
| "If ministers were as good at upgrading roads as they are at making announcements about upgrading roads, life would be considerably easier for Britain's hard-pressed motorists who have been consistently let down by this government." | "If ministers were as good at upgrading roads as they are at making announcements about upgrading roads, life would be considerably easier for Britain's hard-pressed motorists who have been consistently let down by this government." |
| The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, told the BBC's Today programme: "It's not the money that's being presented as new, it's the detail of the roads itself. What people want to know is, is this bottleneck going to be dealt with?" | |
| He said the government needed to legislate to make sure the money was available to spend in the future no matter who was in power. | |
| Lower costs | |
| The documents also outlined more detail on the plan to turn the Highways Agency into a government-owned company. The government said the move would mean funding could be allocated on a longer-term basis, saving the taxpayer at least £2.6bn over the next 10 years. | The documents also outlined more detail on the plan to turn the Highways Agency into a government-owned company. The government said the move would mean funding could be allocated on a longer-term basis, saving the taxpayer at least £2.6bn over the next 10 years. |
| Richard Threlfall, head of infrastructure and transport at the consultants KPMG, told the BBC what was new was these changes to the way roads would be planned in the future: | |
| "We have heard about some of these road schemes before. The real news is the government is fundamentally changing the way we build roads in this country," he said. | "We have heard about some of these road schemes before. The real news is the government is fundamentally changing the way we build roads in this country," he said. |
| "What the government is saying now is lets have a really long-term plan. By making the Highways Agency a bit more arms-length from government it allows it to plan ahead and invest for the future. It should drive down the unit cost of road building in the future." | "What the government is saying now is lets have a really long-term plan. By making the Highways Agency a bit more arms-length from government it allows it to plan ahead and invest for the future. It should drive down the unit cost of road building in the future." |
| There was also £100m available to improve cycling provision at 200 key locations across the network, as well as a commitment to cycle-proof any new schemes being developed. | There was also £100m available to improve cycling provision at 200 key locations across the network, as well as a commitment to cycle-proof any new schemes being developed. |