Chancellor to unveil £1.3bn roads improvement package

Chancellor Philip Hammond will unveil a £1.3 billion package of local road improvements and congestion busting schemes in the Autumn Statement on Wednesday (23 November).

According to national media reports over the weekend, £1.1bn will be spent on reducing congestion and upgrading local roads with £220 million set aside for tackling pinch points on England’s motorways and major A-Roads.

The Treasury claim road congestion costs the UK £13bn every year and that the equivalent of more than 100 million working days could be lost by 2040 unless action is taken now.

Projects that can be built quickly and that will make an immediate impact will be prioritised by the Government.

A £27m expressway connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge is expected to be given the green light.

A Department for Transport source said: "We are building and improving roads because they are at the very heart of what makes communities work - linking people with jobs and businesses with customers.

"Our investment will benefit motorists by making their journeys safer, quicker and less congested - whilst creating thousands of jobs across the country."