£2 billion To Improve South West Roads

1 December 2014, 11:04 | Updated: 1 December 2014, 11:47

The Government has announced it will be spending £2 billion improving our roads around the South West.

It is being called the biggest investment in roads in a generation. The Department for Transport claim it will unlock Britain's economic potential and create 1,300 construction jobs.

The work includes;

• Upgrading the A30 to dual carriageway from Chiverton to Carland Cross improving the road to Expressway standard between Camborne and the M5
• Creating a new junction for Avonmouth on the M49 to provide strategic access to Severnside and Avonmouth
• Upgrading the Bridgwater junction on the M5 (J23) to provide better access to Hinkley Point and Huntspill Energy Park
• Construction of a twin-bored tunnel at least 1.8 miles long for the A303 at Stonehenge and a dual carriageway bypass for Winterbourne Stoke
• Dualling the single carriageway section of the A303 between the Sparkford and Ilchester bypasses
• Creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303
• Connection of the two dual carriageway sections of the A417 'Missing Link' near Birdlip in Gloucestershire

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said:
"I promised when I was in the South West that we would address this area's economic needs for the future. Our plans will transform some of the country's most important strategic routes. For years our roads like the A303 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."