The government has announced that all plans for new smart motorways have been cancelled.

This will mean that the 11 schemes already paused from the second Road Investment Strategy (2020 to 2025) and the 3 earmarked for construction during the third Road Investment Strategy (2025 to 2030) will be removed from the government’s road-building plans in recognition of the current lack of public confidence felt by drivers and cost pressures.

While no new stretches will be converted, work on the M56 J6 to J8 and M6 J21a to J26 will go ahead as planned given they are already over three-quarters constructed.

The government and National Highways will continue to invest £900 million in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways. This includes installing stopped vehicle detection technology on every all lane running smart motorway which has now been completed, adding an additional 150 emergency areas across the network by 2025 and investing in giving motorists clear advice when using existing smart motorways.

The government will also continue to deliver against its other commitments as set out in its response to the Transport Select Committee in January 2022.

This government will continue to ensure that our roads remain among the safest in the world – helping drivers not just to be safe, but crucially, to feel safe and confident when driving.

The following schemes have been cancelled

RIS2 (2020 to 2025) paused schemes

New all lane running smart motorways

M3 junctions 9 to 14

M40/M42 interchange

M62 junctions 20 to 25

M25 junctions 10 to 16

Dynamic hard shoulder to all lane running conversions

M1 junctions 10 to 13

M4/M5 interchange (M4 junctions 19 to 20 and M5 junctions 15 to 17)

M6 junctions 4 to 5

M6 junctions 5 to 8

M6 junctions 8 to 10a

M42 junctions 3a to 7

M62 junctions 25 to 30

RIS3 (2025 to 2030) pipeline schemes

M1 North Leicestershire

M1 junctions 35a to 39 Sheffield to Wakefield

M6 junctions 19 to 21a Knutsford to Croft. Photo by Richard Townshend, Wikimedia commons.