The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) will run for a full five years from 2026 to 2031.
In its Autumn Bulletin update, the DfT said that in the Autumn Budget, it was announced that the department will proceed with a one-year Interim Settlement for National Highways for 2025/26.
This, it said, will then be followed by the third Road Investment Strategy
beginning in 2026/27. In the one-year Interim Settlement there will be a performance specification through which National Highways will continue to make progress towards long term outcomes such as safety.
National Highways will continue to deliver committed enhancement schemes and maintain momentum on renewals and road pavement replacement work, as well as continuing its day-to-day operation of the network, the DfT added.
The one-year Spending Review covering the rest of 2024/25 and 2025/26 was commissioned in August 2024.
Running in parallel to this will be a multi-year Spending Review. The conclusion of which will be announced at the Spring 2025 Budget.
It was announced in the October Budget that some road projects experiencing significant delays, poor value for money, cost increases, and stakeholder challenges have been cancelled.
These schemes include: A358 Taunton to Southfields, A5036 Princess Way, A1 Morpeth to Ellingham, A47 Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Junction, and M27 Junction 8, had been halted; the resulting delays then further eroded their economic viability.
PIC-NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
