Chancellor to outline £25bn road upgrade projects

[rhyds]

This thread is now being re-opened for the discussion of RIS2 ONLY. If you wish to discuss holistic transport policy then please post in this thread

Please note: I've taken a flail-mower to the worst of the posts over the last 24hrs, if an on-topic post has been removed, please feel free to re-post.

[rhyds]

Out of interest, does anyone know if modifications, delays or "re-scaling" of RIS2 will have an effect on the Barnett consequential funding for Scotland, Wales and NI?

[jackal]

Chancellor's budget speech confirms RIS2 with £27bn+ over the five years. 'The details of all these road schemes that I'll be funding will be published later today'.

[AndyB]

If I understand Barnett consequentials correctly, it's only when money actually gets allocated that consequentials come into it.

[jervi]

Chancellor's budget speech confirms RIS2 with £27bn+ over the five years. 'The details of all these road schemes that I'll be funding will be published later today'.

I tuned into just after the mention of investments in roads. If that's what he said, I will be a very happi boi

[jackal]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

[rhyds]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

(my Bold)

Any idea which one? Can't think of any ongoing projects in the Borders/Marches

[ChrisH]

The Budget didn't announce the full package of RIS2 projects, that will come later. It mentions a new National Infrastructure Strategy which presumably incorporates this investment.

It does mention:

The government is boosting regional connectivity and transforming connections through the largest ever investment in England’s strategic roads. Through RIS2 the government will spend over £27 billion between 2020 and 2025. It will take forward schemes such as:
• dualling the A66 Trans-Pennine and upgrading the A46 Newark bypass, addressing congestion on these key routes in the North East and the Midlands
• improving the M60 Simister Island in Manchester to tackle delays
• building the Lower Thames Crossing, which will increase road capacity across the Thames east of London by 90%
• building a new, high-quality dual carriageway and a two-mile tunnel in the South West to speed up journeys on the A303, and to remove traffic from the iconic setting of Stonehenge
• considering how the A1/A19 north of Newcastle and the A1 Doncaster to Darrington in Yorkshire can be improved to speed up journeys and boost economic growth
• exploring how to connect communities in East Lancashire and West Yorkshire better, and exploring the case for improvements to links between the M4 and the Dorset Coast

Plus more from the Transforming Cities fund, and a round of MRN funding including:

• junction improvements to the A12 East of Ipswich
• improving the A350 at Junction 17 of the M4
• a single carriageway bypass on the A39 Atlantic Highway
• junction improvements to the A426/A4071 Avon Mill/Hunters Lane, and a short dual carriageway
• a link road from Chesterfield town centre to the A6192 and A619 at Staveley
• carriageway dualling and roundabout improvements on the A12 in Woodbridge
• junction improvements on the A127 growth corridor
• capacity enhancement on the A326
• alleviating congestion pinch points through the villages of Walton and Ashcott on the A39
• junction improvements at the Army and Navy roundabout near the centre of Chelmsford
• refurbishment of the flyover structure carrying the A232 in Croydon
• improving the Ely to Cambridge A10 Junction
• refurbishment to the Hope and Anchor flyover which carries the A316 Twickenham Road
• refurbishment of Kew Bridge
• upgrades to M5 Junction 9 and a bypass on the A46 Ashchurch

[Chris Bertram]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

How many of these are in Blackburn, Lancashire?

[jackal]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

(my Bold)

Any idea which one? Can't think of any ongoing projects in the Borders/Marches

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co ... ep-closer/

[rhyds]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

(my Bold)

Any idea which one? Can't think of any ongoing projects in the Borders/Marches

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co ... ep-closer/

Thanks. That makes a bit more sense now. The Welsh side of the A483 has recently (last 10 years or so) been improved however the Shropshire section was still very sub-standard.

[stevepuma]

I saw the whole thing. A46, A417 (I think), roads around Manchester (NW quadrant I think this means), North of Newcastle (A1 presumably), many others. The big finale was the A303 Stonehenge. As far as I could tell it was all announced already, which is no bad thing really as existing announcements were ambitious. Also some bypass in the Welsh borders got particular mention. 20 improved links to ports, 100 junction upgrades, 4000 miles of road improvements (which seems a lot). £500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

How many of these are in Blackburn, Lancashire?

All of 'em! They never got filled in the first place, the Beatles made 'em too famous ...!

[M5Lenzar]

Somehow I am not enthusiastic about junction 'improvements' on the A12.

I doubt the money will be for proper GSJs - and will likely include infesting the road with traffic lights.

Lots of good news, though. The LTC and the A303 upgrade will be of use to me when I go to visit my folks.

[B1018 A120 M11]

Strange... I saw the Parliament broadcast live, and the new Chancellor (who looks about 12, but then I have noticed policemen have been looking ever more youthful of late as well...) DEFINITELY mentioned the A417... but in the published budget documents, as quoted above by Chris H, there doesn't seem to be any mention of it.

As a big scheme (assuming it's the Air Balloon one we've been talking about on here for years...), I would have thought they would have wanted to shout about that in print as well as in passing in the House...?

Great news about Stonehenge as well. And I say that not as a petrolhead, but as someone who looks forward to visiting it with quiet fields all around, as it must have been in Victorian times, and minus a blooming great queue of lorries in the background...!

(oh all right, and it will be lovely to zoom straight over the Countess and on to Wylye without grinding to a halt, too...)

[Alderpoint]

£500m per year for potholes, enough to fill 50,000,000 over this parliament.

Assuming a 5-year parliament, that's 10 million potholes per year, so that's £50 per pothole. Either they are v.small potholes or they really are not going to go a proper job.

[jackal]

While most of the strategic road schemes were already announced, I can see three new ones:

1. "considering how the A1/A19 north of Newcastle ... can be improved to speed up journeys and boost economic growth". The mention of the A19 suggests this doesn't refer to the well progressed Northumberland project but rather a scheme in the vicinity of Seaton Burn.
2. "exploring how to connect communities in East Lancashire and West Yorkshire better". There has been talk of extending the M65 but no government funding for a project along those lines (whether motorway or not) until now.
3. "exploring the case for improvements to links between the M4 and the Dorset Coast". This is a completely new one for me and I don't know if they're referring to A36, A338, A350 or what.

[ChrisH]

Strange... I saw the Parliament broadcast live, and the new Chancellor (who looks about 12, but then I have noticed policemen have been looking ever more youthful of late as well...) DEFINITELY mentioned the A417... but in the published budget documents, as quoted above by Chris H, there doesn't seem to be any mention of it.

I think they are both just selections from a larger list - the full RIS2 document which we don't yet have sight of.

[jackal]

Strange... I saw the Parliament broadcast live, and the new Chancellor (who looks about 12, but then I have noticed policemen have been looking ever more youthful of late as well...) DEFINITELY mentioned the A417... but in the published budget documents, as quoted above by Chris H, there doesn't seem to be any mention of it.

I think they are both just selections from a larger list - the full RIS2 document which we don't yet have sight of.

Now we do:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41196

[jervi]

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... 0-2025.pdf

Slightly underwhelming

[haymansafc]

The majority of the A66 east of Brough is already dualled, so it’s basically be a case of tying up the 'loose ends' in-between the M6 and A1(M).

I presume when they refer to the 'single lane carriageway on the A39 Atlantic Highway' is Camelford? That's been screaming out for a bypass for many years and was surprised when it was shelved a decade ago.

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co ... ep-closer/

Interesting. I wonder what is meant by 'improvements' along the Shropshire section of the A5. I highly doubt it means dualling.