Highways England

Conversion of the M56 between junctions 6 (the A538 at Ringway) and 7/8 (the A556 at Bowdon) to Smart Motorway.

As part of the works, the hard shoulder will be converted into a fourth permanent running lane ("All Lane Running") between junctions 6 and 7, and westbound through junction 6. The hard shoulder will not be converted through junction 6 eastbound, so for traffic travelling towards Manchester, the left-hand lane will exit at junction 6 and return afterwards.

Conversion of the M6 between junction 21a (the M62 at Birchwood) and 26 (the M58 at Orrell) to Smart Motorway.

Highways England have not yet published detailed design information, but it is likely that the scheme will involve conversion of the hard shoulder into a fourth permanent running lane ("All Lane Running"), installation of emergency lay-bys and introduction of variable speed limits.

Improvement work to the existing A64 to alleviate persistent congestion and slow-moving traffic north-east of York. At present Highways England are working on options for this scheme which will then go to a public consultation.

Widening of the existing A19 near Billingham to provide three lanes in each direction between Norton (at the interchange with the A1027) and Wynyard (at the interchange with the A689). At present this road is dual two lanes and suffers regular congestion. Planned housing developments in this area mean that additional capacity will be urgently required in the coming years.

The widening work will involve replacement of some bridge structures. The finished road will have three full-width lanes and will retain a 70mph speed limit.

Widening of the existing A1 Newcastle Western Bypass to provide three lanes in each direction between junction 74 (the spur to the Scotswood Bridge) and junction 79 (North Brunton). At present the road is a mix of dual two and dual three lanes.

A series of improvements to the A1 north of Ellingham in Northumberland, including minor changes to the alignment of the road, provision of overtaking lanes and safety improvements to junctions. At present this section of the A1 is a single two-lane road on which the volume of traffic limits safe overtaking opportunities and it can be difficult for traffic to turn right in and out of side turnings.

There are no active plans to provide a dual carriageway on the A1 north of Ellingham, so this scheme will improve the safety and reliability of the existing road.

Upgrade work to grade-separate the Styford and Bridge End roundabouts on the A69, allowing through traffic to pass over the top of both junctions.

Both roundabouts were constructed in the 1970s as part of work to dual the A69 and bypass Hexham and Corbridge. They were laid out with elongated roundabouts and splayed carriageways to allow flyovers to be installed at a later date when traffic levels required them. This provision will now be used to install flyovers at relatively low cost.

Improvements to a range of junctions on the M621, to be constructed as a single coordinated scheme. Despite the name of the project, the improvement work will take place specifically at junctions 2, 2A, 3 and 7 of the motorway and the other junctions will not be affected.

Construction of a new dual two-lane road to replace the existing A417 between the Brockworth Bypass, south of Cheltenham, and Cowley Roundabout. This is the last remaining section of single-carriageway road on the A417/A419 route between the M4 at Swindon and the M5 at Gloucester, which is otherwise a high speed expressway - hence the unusual name of this scheme.

Upgrade of the M23 between junction 8 (the M25 at Merstham) and junction 10 (the A264 at Crawley) to Smart Motorway standard. This is the busiest section of the M23 and heavy volumes of traffic, with associated slow-downs and phantom traffic jams, can occur even at off-peak times. It is also the principal road link between London and the city's second largest airport.

Upgrade of the M3 between junction 9 (the A34 at Winchester) and junction 14 (the A33 and M27 north of Southamnpton) to Smart Motorway standard. This part of the M3 suffers particularly high levels of traffic, being a single link connecting the major conurbation and port at Southampton to the wider UK.

Upgrade of the M20 between junction 3 (M26) and junction 5 (the A20 west of Maidstone) to Smart Motorway standard. This section of the M20 has three lanes in each direction and is particularly busy, running between the M26 and Maidstone. West of this section, traffic disperses between the M20 and M26; east of this section the motorway was widened in the 1990s and already operates with variable speed limits.

Construction of a new dual two-lane road to bypass the existing A585 through Little Singleton, on the section of road linking the Fylde peninsula to the motorway network at M55 junction 3. The new road will include improved junctions at Skippool and Windy Harbour, and may also include a short link road to the A588 to fully bypass Little Singleton to the north.

Improvements to Redbridge Roundabout, the junction at the southern terminus of the M271. At present this is a grade-separated roundabout, with an east-west flyover serving through traffic between the A33 and A35.

Improvement of the A5036 between Liverpool Docks at Seaforth and Switch Island at Aintree, the principal road linking the port with the national motorway network. At present the road is a dual carriageway with numerous signalised junctions and property accesses that runs directly through residential areas.

Work to improve two roundabout junctions on the A47 around the outskirts of Great Yarmouth.

Vauxhall Roundabout, where the A47 Acle New Road approaches Great Yarmouth from Norwich, will be reconstructed to provide a larger roundabout island and a wider circulating carriageway. The railway bridge carrying the A47 immediately south of the roundabout will be widened to allow two lanes in each direction on the immediate approach to the junction from the south. The roundabout will also be at least partly signalised and new pedestrian and bicycle crossings will be installed.

Improvement works to Thickthorn Interchange, the junction where the A11 and A47 cross on the outskirts of Norwich. The A11 is the trunk road linking Norwich with London, and the continuous dual carriageway from London effectively terminates at this junction on the A47 Norwich bypass.

Work to upgrade the M62 between junctions 10 (Croft Interchange at the M6) and junction 12 (Eccles Interchange at the M60) to Smart Motorway standard. This will include the introduction of new technology, with Variable Speed Limits, new traffic sensors and CCTV. Refuge areas will also be installed at regular intervals by the side of the motorway.

Construction of a new dual two-lane road from the terminal roundabout at M67 junction 4 to the A57 at Mottram Moor, where it will terminate at another roundabout. The road will pass below the A6018 and a residential area by means of a bored tunnel. An intermediate roundabout west of Mottram will provide access to the A6018 by a link road. A further single two-lane road will continue from the end of the dual two-lane road south east to the A57 at Woolley Bridge.

Improvements to M27 junction 8, the nearby Windhover Roundabout and 31 junctions on the A3024 between that point and the Six Dials junction in central Southampton, in addition to widening of the A3024 across two railway bridges. The scheme is highly unusual as it is being carried out by Highways England, who operate trunk roads, and at their expense, but the work will almost all take place on non-trunk local authority roads operated by Southampton City Council.