Government Announce £1.5billion For Eastern Roads

1 December 2014, 08:41 | Updated: 1 December 2014, 08:42

The Government has announced the A47, A428 and A1 will benefit from a £15 billion scheme to upgrade 80 roads around the country.

The plans will see £300million spent on the A47 including work to dual it between the A1 and Peterborough.

The A428  is also going to be dualled from Cambridge to Bedford and there will be a major upgrade to the Black Cat roundabout on the A1.

It is part of a £1.5 billion package of investment for major roads in the East of England.

Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, will announce the improvements in the House of Commons today. He said: "Today I am setting out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve the network and unlock Britain's economic potential.

"Roads are key to our nation's prosperity. For too long they have suffered from under-investment.

"This government has a long term plan to secure the country's future and this £15 billion roads programme is demonstration of that. It will directly benefit hardworking families across the East of England."

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said:

"I promised when I was in the East of England that we would address this area's economic needs for the future.

''Our long term economic plan means today we can invest £1.5 billion into the region's infrastructure to improve, repair and expand our roads.

"Our plans will transform some of the country's most important strategic routes.

"For years our roads 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."

Other roads in this region to be improved are:
 

•  begin phase one of a major upgrade to the A12, with the addition of a third lane between Chelmsford and Colchester, rebuilding of the A12/M25 junction and technology improvements along the whole route. This will replace a patchwork road with consistent modern standards, and will tackle congestion on one of the region's vital corridors;
•  opening a new chapter in the history of the A1, with an upgrade to the two-lane section of the A1(M) around Stevenage, and improvements to the notorious Black Cat roundabout on the A1. A strategic study will examine the future of the A1 between Peterborough and the M25, including whether to upgrade the old dual carriageway section to motorway standard;
•  a link road from the A5 to the M1 near Dunstable, including a new junction 11A, which will allow for 7,000 new homes at Houghton Regis; and
• at Harlow on the M11, £50 million of extra improvements to junction 7 will make development easier and provide quicker access to and from the town.