Britain has long relied on its Strategic Road Network. Key motorways, such as the M1, M6, M62 and M25, tie our nation together. Principal ‘A’ roads such as the A11 and A30 are critical links by which whole counties reach the wider world. Some roads, such as the A14 and the A34, have evolved to become critical links through which our nation trades with the wider world.

The demands we make of our roads continue to evolve and change; and we continue to invest in updating our network accordingly. We also continue to tackle historic problem spots, including many that past programmes have judged too difficult to fix. In order to do this, we are committing to some of the most ambitious projects since the creation of the motorway network.

Whereas historic infrastructure programmes have promised action at an unspecified point in the future, RIS2 is built around a structure of commitments that expect projects to enter construction by 1 April 2025. The progress against this is monitored by the Department for Transport and ORR, with regular updates to Parliament.

Project categorisation

The projects listed in the investment plan are categorised as follows:

  • Under construction – construction of this project is underway at the time of publication of RIS2.
  • Committed for RP2 – construction of this project is expected to start by 1 April 2025.
  • Smart motorways subject to stocktake – the sequencing of smart motorway projects will be revisited in light of the outcome of the smart motorway stocktake. Highways England will provide more detail on the status of individual projects later this year.
  • Pipeline for RIS3 – these are proposals that Highways England will develop during RP2 so that they could enter construction in RP3. Funding for construction of these schemes has not been committed.

This map also shows RIS 1 Schemes that are Open for Traffic

*Scheme locations do not denote route choices

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