DfT axes at least 15 major road projects

The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed it has axed 15 projects from its Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programme, worth a total of around £2bn in proposed investment.

The DfT stated that the following projects, which have been 'under consideration' since July last year, have been 'deemed to be unaffordable' and will no longer be progressing:

Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route
A500 Crewe Station Corridor
Kendal Northern Access Route
Blyth Relief Road
A31 Farnham Corridor
A1139 University Access
A127 Corridor for Growth
A1079 Improvement scheme, Wilberfoss
A454 between Wolverhampton and East Park gateway
A509 Isham Bypass
A350 Melksham Bypass
A4174 MOD Roundabout Improvements
City Centre Road, Portsmouth
Ely to Cambridge A10 Improvement
M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch)

Several of the listed projects' cancellations have already been confirmed by the authorities overseeing them; Essex County Council confirmed that its A127 scheme had been dropped, along with the A509 in North Northamptonshire, the £115m A31 project in Surrey, the A500 in Crewe overseen by Cheshire East Council and Gloucestershire's proposed M5 Junction 9a and rerouted A46 around Ashchurch.

A DfT spokesperson said: 'The previous government did not fund these projects. Given the challenging financial picture we inherited, we have had to make difficult decisions on a number of road projects and can only progress schemes that are affordable for taxpayers.

'We're backing drivers with over £1bn for 16 major road schemes that will deliver the most benefits to local people, on top of a record £7.3bn to repair local roads and fix potholes.'

While not included in the list of projects confirmed by the DfT to be cancelled, a further nine projects which have also been 'under consideration' since July 2025 have been reported by the campaign group Transport Action Network (TAN) as also losing government funding: