Felixstowe to Midlands Route Strategy April 2015 Contents 1. Introduction 5 Purpose of route strategies 5 Setting the first Road Investment Strategy 6 What we will do 7 What we will deliver 8 2. The main issues and challenges 10 Summary of the evidence report 10 3. Our Investment Priorities 12 Modernising the route 13 Maintaining the route 13 Operating the route 14 Expressways 15 4. Planning for future investment 16 The investment planning cycle 16 Preparing for the next round of route strategies 17 ANNEX A 17 Contents Page 3 London to Scotland East Route London Orbital and M23 to Gatwick London to Scotland West strategies London to Wales Felixstowe to Midlands The division of routes for the Solent to Midlands programme of route strategies on the M25 to Solent (A3 and M3) Strategic Road Network Kent Corridor to M25 (M2 and M20) South Coast Central Birmingham to Exeter South West Peninsula A1 London to Leeds (East) East of England South Pennines A19 A69 North Pennines Newcastle upon Tyne Midlands to Wales and Gloucestershire Carlisle A1 Sunderland M6 North and East Midlands A1(M) South Midlands A66 Middlesbrough A595 A174 A66 Information correct at A19 13 March 2015 A590 A1 A64 M6 A585 Yo r k Leeds M1 Irish Sea M55 M65 M606 M621 Kingston upon Hull M62 A63 Preston A56 M62 M61 A1 A180 NorthNorth SeaSea M58 M1 Grimsby A628 M18 M180 Manchester Liverpool A616 ( ) M57 A1 M M62 M60 Sheffield M53 A556 M56 A46 M6 A1 Lincoln A55 M1 A500 A38 Stoke-on-Trent Nottingham A52 Derby A50 A453 A483 A5 A42 A46 A38 Norwich M54 A47 A47 A458 A5 M42 Leicester A1 M6 M6 Toll M69 A12 Peterborough M6 Birmingham A5 A1(M) A11 A14 M5 M42 Coventry A14 M45 M1 A45 A14 A49 A428 A5 Cambridge Worcester A46 A421 A11 A1 Ipswich M40 A14 A12 M50 A43 Milton Keynes A120 A40 M1 A1(M) A120 A5 A417 A40 Gloucester M11 Oxford M25 M5 A34 M40 A12 M48 A419 Southend-on-Sea M4 Swindon A404 M4 M4 A13 Reading London Bristol M32 M4 M2 A249 A34 M26 A2 A36 M25 M5 A303 M3 M20 M23 A3 Crawley A20 A21 A36 Folkestone A303 A23 A259 A31 Yeovil M27 A3(M) A27 A27 A259 Exeter Brighton A30 A30 Portsmouth A35 Torquay Plymouth A38 A30 EEnglishnglish ChanneChannell 0 kilometres 60 0 miles 40 © Crown copyright and database rights 2015 Ordnance Survey 100030649 Highways Agency media services MCR N130206 1. Introduction Highways England is the new public sector Our route strategies will outline our priorities company owned by government and set up for the Road Period and beyond. These to operate and improve the motorways and documents also provide a transparent frame major A roads in England, otherwise known of reference for future delivery including as the Strategic Road Network (SRN). details about our proposed investment to improve asset condition; and our vision for The SRN is arguably the biggest and single the Customer Operations service. most important piece of infrastructure in the country. It is at the core of our national The clarity of route strategies, coupled with transport system. Its many arteries connect the new funding certainties of the Road our major towns and cities, ensure commuters Investment Strategy (RIS) and the plans set make it to work every day and help millions of out in our Strategic Business Plan and us visit our friends and families. Delivery Plan, will enable customers, stakeholders, partners and suppliers to Our motorways and major A roads are the engage with Highways England with most heavily used part of the national road confidence and reduced risk. network. They carry a third of all traffic and two-thirds of all freight, provide business with This will help to generate future efficiencies the means to get its products and services to for our investment plans and performance their customers, gives access to labour improvements, improving customer markets and suppliers and encourage trade experience, and better inform the strategic and new investment. It is essential to the investment plans of our public and private growth, wellbeing and balance of the nation’s sector partners. economy. This route strategy for Felixstowe to Midlands Our primary role is to deliver a better service route is a culmination of two years of work for road users and to support a growing listening to our stakeholders, customers, economy. We will work in the interests of partners and suppliers. taxpayers, road users, and the millions of people who rely on the network every day. It has informed the Road Investment Strategy – Investment Plan for Road Period 1 (2015/16 to 2019/20) and is our statement of how we Purpose of route strategies will tackle the most important challenges and opportunities for our customers as set out in The route strategies process provides an the route strategy evidence report for this opportunity for us to be clear about what we route. This strategy also shows how we will intend to do where, why and when. We will work toward delivering the ambitions set out operate within five year spending control in our Strategic Business Plan, and the periods known as a Road Period. The first Government’s RIS at a route level. Road Period has an overall capital investment of £11.3bn from 2015/16 to 2019/20. 1. Introduction Page 5 Setting the first Road Investment In December 2014, we also published our Strategy first Strategic Business Plan (SBP) setting out our main activities over the 5-year Road During September and October 2013 we Period. It describes how we will go about held a series of engagement events across delivering the investment plan and the the country to inform the development of the requirements of a demanding performance evidence base for route strategies. We invited specification. Supporting the SBP will be a over 800 stakeholders to provide evidence five year Delivery Plan which will set out our and contribute to discussions about the detailed programme, and how we will go current and future performance of the about changing the way we work and Strategic Road Network, in their local area delivering the performance specification. and to identify local priorities. To address the increasing demands from a In April 2014 we published a set of 18 route growing population and to meet and exceed evidence reports and technical annexes. The our customer expectations over the next 25 reports established the necessary evidence years, we will create a modern, base to help identify performance issues on technologically advanced road network that routes and to anticipate future challenges. is smother, smarter and sustainable and continues to enable the nation’s economy to Following the publication of the evidence grow and remain competitive. reports, during stage two of the route strategies process from May to November Over the coming decades the SRN must 2014, we identified over 200 locations provide significantly higher levels of nationwide for further study and over 250 integration with other transport developments potential investment options and areas for to improve domestic connectivity, encourage study. These were evaluated and sifted trade and investment, and enable British against five themes; network performance businesses to compete in international and safety, a good neighbour to the markets. environment and communities, customer experience, strategic access and By 2040, we want to have transformed the connectivity and helping us grow. busiest sections of the SRN to deliver the safer, more stress-free journeys that our From the sifting process a number of customers desire, and the enhanced investment options were identified and these reliability and predictability that is so were used to inform the Government’s RIS, important to business users and freight. We which was published in December 2014. see the SRN working more harmoniously with its surroundings, impacting less on local The RIS sets out the investment plan and communities and the environment. performance requirements for the network for the next 5 years, together with a long‑term We know it will take time to make this vision a commitment to capital funding totalling more reality but we have already started our work than £11bn with a further £4.2bn for the first and the planned investment during Road year of Road Period 2. This long‑term Period 1 will take us a step closer to making investment will enable us to start work on this vision a reality. delivering a modern and sustainable network that will tackle congestion, supports Realising this will require a network that works economic growth and provides better in a fundamentally more effective way. This connections across the country. means updating infrastructure to make the best use of technology, improving how drivers, vehicles and non-users interact both on and with the network, and placing the customer at the heart of how the network is managed. Page 6 What we will do As described in our Strategic Business Plan, to improve the capacity and performance of the network we will: Page 7 What we will deliver The increased investment in the SRN over the next 5 year road period will deliver substantial benefits for road users, communities and the nation as a whole. The key strategic outcomes of the planned investment will be: Supporting economic growth through a modernised and reliable network that reduces delays creates jobs and helps business compete and opens up new areas for development. A safe and serviceable network where no one should be harmed when travelling or working on the network. A more free-flowing network where routine delays are more infrequent and journeys are safer and more reliable. An improved environment where the impact of our activities is further reduced ensuring a long-term and sustainable benefit to the environment.