Nineteen major new local transport schemes - including light rail services, new public transport interchanges, dedicated bus corridors, town centre accessibility improvements, and local road improvements - have also been given the go-ahead, subject to necessary statutory procedures.

Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling has given the green light to schemes which will:

Tackle congestion:

• plans to widen the M6 between Manchester and Birmingham from three to four lanes (between junctions 19 and 11a) together with junction improvements, safety and traffic management measures;
• plans to widen the M1 in the East Midlands generally to 4 lanes (between junctions 21 and 30) together with junction improvements, safety and traffic management measures;
• provision of climbing lanes for HGVs and junction improvements on sections of the M4 and M5 near Bristol;
• plans to improve the A453 from the M1 to Nottingham;
• go-ahead for junction improvements on the A419 Commonhead junction near Swindon;
• up to 1,600 traffic management schemes and over 400 new or improved road junctions;
• up to 55 new or extended park and ride schemes;

Improve safety and reliability:

• completing dualling of the A1 between Morpeth and Alnwick;
• dualling most of the remaining single carriageway on the A303 and improving sections of the A30 west of Exeter;
• confirmation of funding approval for extensions to Metrolink, the tram system in Manchester;
• approval in principle, subject to statutory procedures, of plans to develop Merseytram, a major new light rail line in Liverpool;
• bus priority measures in Middlesbrough, Wokingham and Walsall;
• around 5,500 local road safety and traffic calming schemes, including 900 projects involving new lighting or CCTV and around 900 safe routes to school schemes;
• over 1000 km of cycle tracks and lanes and over 1,750 new cycle parking facilities, such as stands and lockers.

Aid quality of life:

• a £183m 2.1 kilometre bored tunnel option for the upgrade of the A303 past Stonehenge - protecting the World Heritage Site from heavy traffic and facilitating the development of a new visitor centre;
• approval for bypasses of Reighton in North Yorkshire and Ashton in Tameside and on the A69 at Haydon Bridge in Northumberland, and the A228 at Leybourne in Kent;
• £600 million for local maintenance for local authorities;
• new bus stations in Norwich, North Manchester business park and Warrington;
• up to 200 km of new footpaths, footway improvements or pedestrianisation and around 3,500 new or improved road crossings;
• improved pedestrian and cyclist access in Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Walsall, Warrington, Norwich and Wokingham;
• the award of over £550,000 to 14 pilot schemes that promote the development of personalised travel planning schemes to help people to make more environmentally friendly travel choices

Alistair Darling said:

"We are committed to putting right decades of under-investment. Nationally, by improving the strategic road network - widening parts of the M6 and M1 - and accelerating the work on the West Coast Main Line, we are transforming major transport corridors in the country to bring real benefits for decades to come. Locally, by providing the funds for councils to deliver the vital transport improvements that local people want."