Vital road structures in England are to have £1bn spent on them to “futureproof” the road network, according to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The cash injection to repair 3,000 bridges and ensuring freight transport can continue using them comes in addition to the £590m announced earlier this week to take forward the Lower Thames Crossing.
The Treasury said the number of bridge collapses had risen and was a stark reminder of the need for urgent action to address a “decade of neglect”.
Its ‘structures fund’ will use money to repair bridges, flyovers and worn out tunnels across the country, as well as ensuring other transport infrastructure gets the investment to make them more resilient to extreme weather events and the demands of modern transport.
The Treasury said the investments were part of a 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, due to be published this week.
Reeves said: “When it comes to investing in Britain’s renewal, we’re going all in by going up against the painful disruption of closed bridges, crossings and flyovers, and ensure they’re fit to serve working people for decades to come.
“Today’s investment also goes even further and faster to spread growth by providing critical funding to take forward the Lower Thames Crossing – not just boosting connectivity in the South East, but ensuring a smoother, less congested passage of vital goods from Europe to our regions.”
The association of directors of environment, economy, planning and transport (ADEPT) welcomed the funding, but it also pointed out that billions more was required to fix the problems:
“This investment is desperately needed and represents a significant step forward in addressing the infrastructure crisis facing local authorities across the country,” said Angela Jones, ADEPT president.
“ADEPT has been warning for years about the deteriorating state of road structures. The government’s acknowledgment that approximately 3,000 bridges cannot support the heaviest vehicles aligns with ADEPT’s own data showing that 3,090 bridges – 4.3% of the 71,925 bridges maintained by local authorities – are currently substandard.
“In 2023, the RAC Foundation and ADEPT’s joint 2023 bridge maintenance study estimated that the one-time cost to clear the maintenance backlog on all 71,925 bridges across the country would be £5.861 billion,” she added.
“This bridges backlog sits within the broader infrastructure challenge highlighted by the latest AIA’s ALARM survey report 20252, which shows a £16.81 billion total backlog for bringing the entire local road network to ideal conditions.
“While today’s £1 billion investment is a significant first step, it underscores the magnitude of the infrastructure deficit that has built up over years of underinvestment.”
