The new Silvertown Tunnel in London opens despite a backdrop of cancelled and delayed road projects across the UK due to budget constraints. While the privately funded Silvertown Tunnel secures its future, taxpayer-funded projects face an uncertain future.
Twelve years after receiving approval and five years since construction began, the new 0.9-mile Silvertown Tunnel beneath the Thames, connecting Silvertown in east London to the Greenwich Peninsula, will open on April 7th. This announcement by Transport for London (TfL) provides a rare positive development amidst a climate where many proposed road schemes across the country are facing cancellations due to budget constraints or opposition.
Shortly after assuming office in July last year, the Labour government scrapped the A27 upgrade and the controversial A303 Stonehenge tunnel project, which had already cost taxpayers £166 million in development. Further, the Autumn Budget in October saw the axing of five additional National Highways projects, a decision attributed by then-transport secretary Louise Haigh to their unaffordability. The previous government had planned to fund the A1 Morpeth to Ellingham scheme – one of the five scrapped projects – using savings from abandoning the northern leg of HS2. However, with the incoming government confronting what it claimed was a £22 billion “black hole” in public finances, they opted for alternative plans. Against this backdrop, the completion of the Silvertown Tunnel appears almost miraculous – particularly considering its £2.2 billion cost was entirely funded by the private sector. TfL states that this investment will be recouped over the next 25 years through tolls of up to £4. While this toll-based model has secured the tunnel's future, major road projects relying on taxpayer funding remain vulnerable to cancellation when government finances tighten. Economists, such as Matthew Brighty of Bradshaw Advisory, caution that relegating UK roads to the back of the funding queue risks hindering the government's economic growth aspirations. Brightly asserts, “If Labour wants to grow the economy and attract investment, it is essential to commit to long-term road infrastructure projects. Investing in improving our outdated roads and tackling rising congestion before it worsens will boost business, productivity, connectivity, and unlock economic potential. The strategic road network needs real investment.” However, the level of investment Brighty deems necessary has, in recent years, either not materialized or been spent inefficiently.Every five years, the government's road investment strategy (RIS) outlines where funds will be allocated. The most recent, RIS2, covering the period to March 2025, pledged to spend £27.4 billion on the strategic road network, including committing £14.1 billion to 69 road enhancement projects. However, approximately £3.5 billion of the budget was subsequently recouped, and the number of projects was reduced. The National Audit Office subsequently reported that the spending program would deliver fewer projects at a significantly higher cost than anticipated. Consequently, the implementation of the strategy's successor, RIS3, covering the period April 2025 to March 2030, has been delayed until the government's spending review in June. Explaining this delay, future of roads minister Lilian Greenwood stated that the strategic road network is “an economic engine that needs our attention and demands a long-term plan.” She added, “In order to shape that future, we need to take time to ensure we have the right program, taking the opportunity provided by the Treasury Spending Review in spring to allow us to build a road investment strategy that will be better placed to invest and deliver for the long term.” Until then, to ensure some projects remain on track, an ‘interim roads settlement’ for 2025-26 has been established. This includes up to £5 million for work on the A75, as well as unspecified amounts for projects on the A47. Meanwhile, National Highways has set aside £347 million to fund a “pipeline of future projects” encompassing over 30 major road schemes that were originally intended for consideration in RIS3 but have now been postponed, possibly to RIS4 (April 2030 to March 2035). These include improvements to the M1, M6, A1, and A5 in the north of England, the M11, A11, and A12 to the east, and the A303, A3, A27, and A38 to the southwest. Despite the allocated funds, all of these projects remain uncertain. A spokesperson stated, “These schemes remain uncommitted, with no guarantee they’ll be taken forward for further development work.” Today, however, the government has announced a more substantial £90 million investment in four road upgrade projects: the A350 Chippenham Bypass in Wiltshire, Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass on the A647 in Leeds, the South East Aylesbury Link Road in Buckinghamshire, and the A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange in Essex. 'The UK’s roads are the backbone of a growing economy, which is why we’re giving these vital schemes the go ahead, helping deliver our Plan for Change,' said Greenwood
ROAD FUNDING TRANSPORTATION UK ECONOMY SILVERTOWN TUNNEL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS GOVERNMENT SPENDING
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