The Government promised a massive road-building scheme worth £1.4 billion in the Midlands - but it hasn’t happened so far.
In December 2014 the Government made a high-profile announcement promising what it called the “biggest upgrade to roads in a generation”.
It issued a statement pledging “an ambitious £15 billion plan to triple levels of spending by the end of the decade to increase the capacity and condition of England’s roads”.
And it said that the Midlands would get “17 schemes worth £1.4 billion and estimated to create 900 jobs”,
But the reality looks less impressive.
Because two years on, just seven of the schemes have reached a stage where the Department for Transport has confirmed what the cost will be.
And the total funding for these projects comes to £393.37 million, far less than the £1.4 billion originally promised.
Six of the projects listed have not yet been costed.
And the others are not mentioned at all on the list of ongoing road schemes published on the website of Highways England, the Government agency responsible for motorways and major A roads.
The projects were announced as part of former Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, one of the major spending announcements the government makes each year.
Details of road schemes are published by Highways England on their website, showing when work is due to begin and how much it will cost. Confirming the amount of money required is an important step in turning each project into reality.
A Highways England spokesperson said: "Highways England is delivering the biggest programme of road improvements for a generation. In July we published our delivery plan for 2016-17 re-iterating our commitment to all of the schemes in the Midlands announced in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy."
Improvements to the M40, M42, M5 and M54 still in limbo
Work which has not yet been costed includes a major scheme to create a link between the M54, M6 and the M6 (Toll). Currently, traffic moving from the M54 to M6 (Toll), including lorries, has to use unsuitable rural roads. This project is due to be completed by 2022.
Details for a planned upgrades of the M40 and M42, to introduce more sections of “smart motorway” in which motorists can use the hard shoulder, have still not been published on the website. Highways England said in a report in July that this was due to begin in the 2019-20 financial year, but there is no indication of the cost.
And plans for a major scheme to upgrade the M42 and M5 around Birmingham to smart motorways has also gone missing from the website.
The Highways England report said that it would work with Midlands Connect, a body involving local councils and business groups, to develop this scheme - but work is not due to begin until after 2020.
MP says the Midlands isn't getting what it was promised
Richard Burden, MP for Birmingham Northfield, said the lack of progress contrasted with pledges to back the Midlands made by Theresa May, the Prime Minister, at the Conservative conference in Birmingham early in October.
He said: “It has been less than a fortnight since Theresa May and her Tory Ministers pledged to give the Midlands Engine the backing it needs but these revelations are another example that their words are wind.
“It is not news that in the past Highways England have publicly admitted they face real challenges on delivering the Government’s much lauded Road Investment Programme, but given that nearly two years have passed since the 17 plus projects were announced, as far as I can see there’s still huge uncertainty over costs and timescale.
“The fact that the sums don’t add up on the billions that the Government promised will feel like a set-back to many in our region. It’s important the Government reaffirm their funding commitments or come clean on any cuts. I am tabling questions to Ministers to end the confusion.”
But there has been some progress
Highways England points out that in the last year, the following major schemes have opened to traffic in the Midlands:
widening of the A453 near Nottingham
widening the A14 near Kettering, Northamptonshire
improvements to capacity on the M6 between junction 10a north of Walsall and junction 13 in Stafford
increases in capacity on the M1between junctions 28 and 31, Derby and Nottingham
Meanwhile, the following improvements are under construction:
M1 junction 19 improvement near Rugby, Warwickshire
A45-A46 Tollbar End near Coventry
Work on upgrading the M1 between junctions 23a and 25 to a smart motorway
Other schemes where progress have been made include a major project to improve junction six of the M42 near Birmingham Airport, which will allow for better movement of traffic on and off the A45.
This will not only make it easier to reach the airport but also improve access to the planned HS2 high speed rail station, which will be built nearby.
The Highways Agency says this will cost £282 million and work is due to begin in 2019.