Roads Minister Robert Goodwill has called on Britain's road building companies to get ready for a massive increase in work ahead of the biggest investment in the road network since the 1970s.

The government is tripling funding on the road network over the next eight years with more than £24bn to be spent on upgrading and improving the network until 2021. By the end of the next parliament, the government will be spending £3bn each year on improvements and maintenance for the strategic network alone. This locked-in funding commitment will support nearly 30,000 new jobs across the construction sector and at the same time deliver a safer, more sustainable road network that is fit for the 21st century and beyond.

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Minister Goodwill said: "Funding certainty is critical to the construction industry in planning for the future and that is exactly what the government has delivered – with £24 billion secure investment over 6 years and £50 billion for the strategic road network over the next 15 years. However, we need to make sure everyone is ready to deliver the massive programme of investment that we need to keep Britain's roads moving.

"To do that, we need to make sure we have the right people and equipment in place to deliver the 53 road schemes in preparation right now, plus the next generation of improvements over the next 7 years. This means taking on more apprentices and making sure suppliers have the capacity to deal with the increase in demand.

"If we get this right, this will provide road users with a high performing network that can cope with the expected 43% increase in traffic over the coming decades that will help boost economy growth and deliver more efficient roads for motorists."

(CD/JP)