List of road projects in the UK

This article lists current and planned road building in the United Kingdom. Significant investment is expected, including plans for £14 billion of investment in road expansion by England's National Highways.[1] In addition to physical expansion, smart motorways have been pursued as a means to increase capacity by introducing regular traffic on the hard shoulder. Transport is devolved, projects in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are delivered in co-operation with the devolved authorities of Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government, and DfI Roads respectively.

New roads under construction

England

  • Heyhouses Link Road
  • Wichelstowe Southern Access
  • Grantham Southern Bypass
  • A5 to A43 link (Towcester bypass)[2]
  • St Austell to A30 link road
  • Botley Bypass
  • Lyminster Bypass
  • North-South Link Road (Weston-Super-Mare)[3]
  • Mottram Bypass (under preparation for construction[4])
  • Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet. A new 16 km (9.9 miles)-long dual carriageway, to be renamed A421, mostly paralleling the existing A428 road, between the A1 south of St Neots and Caxton Gibbet, with enlarged junctions at either end.[5] A £507 million contract to build the scheme was awarded in March 2021.[6]
  • Carlisle Southern Link Road
  • Lower Thames Crossing

Northern Ireland

  • Newtownards Movilla Road to Donaghadee Road and Bangor Road Link
  • Larne Distributor (South)

Proposed new roads

  • Shrewsbury North West Relief Road
  • A new route to parallel the existing A83, currently under consultations[7]
  • A27 Arundel bypass[8]
  • A46 Newark-on-Trent bypass, under planning, expected to cost between £400m and £500m[9]
  • Northampton North-West Relief Road, a 1.9 km (1.2 miles) bypass[10]
  • A509 Isham bypass. Will start at Junction 9 A14 Kettering, bypassing Isham village reconnecting at Great Harrowden, reducing traffic between Kettering and Wellingborough.
  • Ashbourne bypass (a new 2.8 km road to the west of Ashbourne in Derbyshire)[11]
  • Norwich Western Link route, a proposed new 3.8 mile dual carriageway road in Norfolk[12]
  • A new 2.4 km (1.5 miles) dual carriageway west of Elmstead Market linking the A120 and the A133. Planning application submitted in April 2021 with an expected cost of £70 million.[13]
  • A5036 Port of Liverpool Access
  • A66 Dualling Temple Sowerby to Appleby
  • A66 Dualling Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor
  • A64 Dualling Hopgrove to Barton-le-Willows, currently under planning,
  • Banwell Bypass – from the A371 west of Banwell, Somerset, to the A368 near Sandford, with a spur towards the A371 Winscombe.[14]
  • A new link road between the M54 and the M6, will be constructed.[15] A timeline is expected to be given by spring 2026. It is currently expected to cost of between £175 million and £200 million[16][17]
  • Bean Road Underpass – a planned 75 m tunnel in Kent to link the Whitecliffe/Eastern Quarry housing area with Bluewater Shopping Centre, primarily for Fastrack buses plus a pedestrian and cycle path.

Expansion

  • Dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness
  • A9/A82 Longman Junction Improvement Scheme [18]
  • Dualling of the A96
    • A96 Inverness to Nairn including Nairn Bypass
  • A66 Dualling: [19]
    • Penrith to Temple Sowerby
    • Appleby to Brough
    • Bowes Bypass
    • Cross Lanes to Rokeby
  • Dualling of 8 km (5 mi) of the A1 between Alnwick and Ellingham and 12.9 km (8 mi) between Morpeth and Felton, This is still awaiting government consent with a decision now due in June 2024[20]
  • Dualling of the A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton, expected to cost £100 million to £250 million,[21] and between Blofield and North Burlingham at a cost of £50 million to £100 million.[22]
  • An additional lane for both sides of the A1 between Birtley and Coal House, a 6.5 km (4.0 miles) stretch. Approved in January 2021, Highways England stated the cost of this scheme was "yet to be determined".[23]
  • Partial dualling of the A5, expected to start in 2025 at a cost of £20 million to £25 million[24][25]
  • Capacity increase for three junctions along the A38 in Derby, expected to start in 2021 and be completed by 2024 2025 at a cost of £200 million to £250 million.[26] The Secretary of State approved the scheme's Development Consent Order on 8 January 2021 allowing the scheme to proceed[27]
  • M60 Simister Island junction 18 capacity increase, expected to be constructed between 2026 and 2028 at a cost of between £207–£340 million[28]
  • M42 capacity increase, including a new 2.4 km (1.5 miles) long dual-carriageway link road, a new junction, junction capacity increases, and a new pedestrian overbridge. Expected to be completed in 2024 2025 at a cost of £282 million.[29]
  • Berryden corridor, a road-widening project in Aberdeen[30]
  • Grade separation of the Sheriffhall roundabout on the Edinburgh City Bypass, expected to cost £120 million[31]
  • A465 Dowlais Top to Hirwaun (Section 5 and 6)
  • A1231 Dualling, Sunderland
  • A4440 Dualling, Worcester
  • A6 dualling - M22 to Castledawson
  • A6 dualling - Dungiven to Derry, under construction
  • M2 junction 5 (with the A249) capacity increase, started September 2021 and completed Summer 2025 and cost £100 million[32]
  • M621 junctions 1 to 7, capacity increase, Including extra lanes at J2.
  • A64 Askham Bryan Junction Improvement
  • M1/M62 Lofthouse Interchange

Legal challenges against the construction of specific roads:

  • A47 road schemes
  • A38 road expansion

Transport Action Network challenged the Government over its Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) on climate grounds.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Highways England publishes £14bn road building plan". The Construction Index. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Towcester relief road reaches key milestone". 27 November 2023.
  3. ^ "North South Link Road". North Somerset Council. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  4. ^ Hatmaker, Julia (12 July 2024). "Work to start on Mottram Bypass next year". Place North West. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  5. ^ "A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet". Highways England. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ "£507m contract for A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements awarded". Cambridge Independent. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Access to Argyll and Bute (A83)". Transport Scotland. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ^ "New A27 Arundel bypass avoids national park". BBC News. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ^ England, Highways (18 September 2020). "A46 Newark Bypass - Highways England". Highways England. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Controversial North-West Relief Road in Northampton awarded planning permission". Northampton Chronicle. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Route selected for £21 million bypass around traffic-troubled Derbyshire town". DerbyshireLive. 8 February 2021. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  12. ^ "About the Norwich Western Link - Norfolk County Council". www.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  13. ^ Bryson, Robbie (13 April 2021). "Planning application submitted for £70m road connecting 9k home new town". Clacton and Frinton Gazette. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  14. ^ "About the Banwell bypass". North Somerset Council. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  15. ^ "M54-M6 link road 'could generate more than £500m' for UK economy". BBC News. 13 July 2025.
  16. ^ "M54 to M6 link road - National Highways". 20 September 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  17. ^ "M54-M6 Link road video". YouTube. 21 August 2020.
  18. ^ url=https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a9a82-longman-junction-improvement-scheme/
  19. ^ "£27billion roads investment to support 64,000 jobs". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. ^ England, Highways (6 May 2020). "A1 Morpeth to Ellingham dualling - Highways England". highwaysengland.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  21. ^ "A47 North Tuddenham to Easton improvement". Highways England. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  22. ^ "A47 Blofield to North Burlingham". Highways England. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Go-ahead for Costain's A1 upgrade". The Construction Index. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  24. ^ "A5 Dodwells to Longshoot Widening - Highways England". Highways England. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  25. ^ Dawson, Nick (30 October 2020). "Frustration as upgrade for A5 is put back for several years". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  26. ^ "A38 Derby Junctions". Highways England. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  27. ^ England, Highways (11 May 2020). "A38 Derby Junctions - Highways England". highwaysengland.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  28. ^ Gee, Chris (10 September 2025). "Two-year plan to fix notorious motorway junction". BBC News. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  29. ^ "M42 junction 6". Highways England. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Plans submitted for Berryden Corridor improvement project in Aberdeen, UK - World Construction Network". World Construction Network. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  31. ^ McLeod, Keith; Fairnie, Robert (11 April 2020). "Plans for Edinburgh City Bypass flyover near Sheriffhall delayed". edinburghlive. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  32. ^ Prior, Grant (19 July 2021). "Graham to start £92m M2 junction upgrade in September". Construction Enquirer News. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  33. ^ "RIS2".
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