The government is scrapping 14 smart motorway schemes amid rising costs and growing driver mistrust. Eleven projects from the current Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) 2020-2025 and three planned under RIS3 (2025-2030) have now been cancelled. This decision reflects increasing public concerns and financial pressures against the ongoing road-building programme.
Despite the cancellations, some construction work will continue on key sections already nearing completion. The M56 between junctions 6 and 8 and the M6 from junction 21a to 26 remain approved, with over three-quarters of the work already done. The government, in partnership with National Highways, will invest £900 million into safety upgrades on existing smart motorways. These upgrades include installing stopped vehicle detection across all all-lane running smart motorway stretches, adding 150 more emergency refuge areas by 2025, and improving clearer driver guidance.
Officials stated, “This government will continue to ensure 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 Cancelled Smart Motorway Schemes
RIS2 (2020-2025) Paused Projects
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 19-20 & M5 junctions 15-17)
- 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 (2025-2030) Pipeline Schemes Cancelled
- M1 North Leicestershire stretch
- M1 junctions 35a to 39 (Sheffield to Wakefield)
- M6 junctions 19 to 21a (Knutsford to Croft)
Originally published by UKNIP.
