RAC proposes £20bn road plan to cut congestion

More than 1,600km of motorways and A roads must be widened and dozens of bottlenecks removed over the next decade or Britain will be engulfed by congestion, according to the RAC in its report published today (Tuesday).

The motoring organisation's RAC Foundation Report has outlined a £20bn road improvement programme, which it believes should replace the government's existing roads policy.

The proposals include widening 603km of motorway and upgrading 365km of A roads to motorway and 643km of single carriageway into dual carriageway. The M4 would be widened to four lanes in each direction between Reading and the M25 and the M3 widened between Fleet and the M25.

In addition, the RAC has called on ministers to reconsider a series of road projects rejected because of their impact on the environment. This includes plans for a 70km western bypass for the West Midlands and a dual carriageway all the way along the South Coast from Eastbourne to Portsmouth.