Policy paper

Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3): 2026 to 2031 introduction

Published 26 March 2026

Ministerial Foreword

The strategic road network (SRN) is a vital piece of Britain’s infrastructure. It is made up of England’s motorways and major A roads, the key economic arteries which keep people and goods moving throughout the country.

Of course, the road network extends well beyond the SRN. But these 4,500 miles of strategic roads, managed by National Highways, play a central role in connecting the country – connecting people, communities, businesses and industries, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In this Road Investment Strategy, we set out how this government will provide over £27 billion of investment to deliver the objectives set out in RIS3 and make sure the SRN serves everyone. This includes £24.99 billion to operate, maintain, renew and enhance the network. We have committed £402 million of funding for two nationally important Inward Investment Projects, aimed at attracting new industries and foreign direct investment. We have also provided a further £1.65 billion to deliver the publicly-funded works on the Lower Thames Crossing, which will provide a significant boost to the UK economy, strengthening connectivity across the UK and to major ports.

By investing in the SRN, we will reduce regional inequalities, ensuring that all parts of the UK benefit from free running, safer and more reliable road travel.

Our investment will also enable the network to play its full part in supporting the government’s ambitions to kickstart economic growth – increasing the UK’s trade capability, supporting housing, jobs and opportunities, and helping boost essential sectors like manufacturing, construction and retail.

We know the SRN best supports these objectives when it runs safely, reliably and smoothly. It is therefore essential that we invest proactively in its upkeep – in particular, as we respond to the challenge of ageing assets and the risks posed by, and the impacts of, climate change.

This Strategy therefore includes an unprecedented investment of £8.4 billion into renewals, targeting major structures and replacement of road surfaces. Alongside this, continued investment in operational and traffic management services will mean the network can continue to be relied upon by road users across the country.

Our investment of £3.8 billion into key enhancement schemes will increase crucial capacity where it is most needed, tackling known bottlenecks and driving economic growth for the country. This includes improving the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine route by providing funding for a scheme which will create a continuous dual carriageway between the M6 at Penrith and A1(M) at Scotch Corner – an enhancement which promises to transform connectivity and network resilience.

We must ensure that all of this is done in a way which aligns with our wider environmental objectives, including the government’s Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery and Environmental Improvement Plans, as well as National Highways’ own Net Zero Plan. Our investment in RIS3 will support practical steps to make progress and will ensure we continue looking after neighbouring communities, habitats and landscapes.

Earlier this year, we published the Road Safety Strategy demonstrating our commitment to improving safety on all roads. We are reinforcing that commitment by setting National Highways a target to achieve a 7.5% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the SRN by the end of 2031, based on the 2022-24 baseline. Our investment will help drivers not just to be safe, but to feel safe and confident when driving.

In July 2024, when this government came to office, we said that we would deliver the biggest overhaul to transport in a generation. RIS3 ensures that this vital part of our transport infrastructure will be maintained, managed and improved in a way that works for the people who need it, for the industries that rely on it and for Britain as a whole.

The Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP
Secretary of State for Transport

Introduction

The strategic road network (SRN) comprises England’s 4,500 miles of nationally significant motorways and major A-roads which:

• link our main places of population
• facilitate access to major ports and airports
• enable access to all regions across the country
• provide key cross-border routes to Scotland and Wales

What is a Road Investment Strategy?

In 2015, the Infrastructure Act 2015 (Infrastructure Act) established a new arm’s length body, National Highways (then Highways England), to manage the SRN and a statutory process for setting and funding a Road Investment Strategy (RIS).

The RIS is government’s multi-year investment plan for operating, maintaining, renewing and enhancing the SRN. To date, there have been two previous road investment strategies:

• RIS1 – covering 2015-2020, known as the first road period
• RIS2 – covering 2020-2025, known as the second road period

These five-year funding settlements have provided stability to both National Highways and its supply chain, allowing a renewed and long-term focus on customer outcomes and efficient delivery.

The Infrastructure Act also provides the basis for the issuing of statutory directions and guidance to National Highways. Statutory directions and guidance have been issued to National Highways in the form of a ‘Licence’, which sets out government’s expectations of National Highways.

Under the Infrastructure Act, National Highways must comply with the RIS.

The Infrastructure Act also provides specific roles for:

• Office of Rail and Road (ORR) – as independent highways monitor, with regulatory powers
• Transport Focus – as independent watchdog

The Interim Period: 2025-26

Following the end of the second road period on 31 March 2025, the period of April 2025 to March 2026 was covered by a one-year Interim Settlement. The legal basis for the Interim Settlement was a set of statutory directions and guidance, as provided for under Section 6 of the Infrastructure Act 2015.

The Interim Settlement provided investment of £4.842 billion for the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the SRN, ensuring short-term continuity of delivery and performance. This enabled the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) to be aligned with the outcomes of the government’s Spending Review 2025, announced in June 2025.

Developing RIS3

The process for setting RIS3 has included:

1. Initial Report: In May 2023, National Highways published their SRN Initial Report, underpinned by the work undertaken on route strategies. This summarised customer, community and stakeholder priorities, the condition of the network, proposals for targeting improvements over the third road period and how these could be delivered.
2. Public consultation: The Department for Transport (DfT) subsequently consulted on this Initial Report between May and July 2023. The government’s response to the public consultation (Shaping the Future of England’s Strategic Roads) was published alongside the Draft RIS3 in August 2025.
3. Draft RIS3: In August 2025, the government published the Draft RIS3, setting out the high level expectations of National Highways, the funding envelope for RIS3 and Transport Focus’s recommendations on road user priorities.
4. Stakeholder engagement: In Autumn 2025, the DfT undertook further consultation with stakeholders to understand whether their views had changed since the public consultation in 2023.
5. Draft Strategic Business Plan (dSBP): National Highways responded to the Draft RIS3 with its dSBP for government, which set out how it would meet the government’s objectives in September 2025.
6. Efficiency Review: The dSBP was assessed by ORR in its Efficiency Review, which considered the extent to which the plan was challenging and deliverable, including the level of efficiency that National Highways proposed to achieve.

RIS3 runs from April 2026 to March 2031 and is the culmination of all the above work. Part 1 sets out our vision for the SRN in the short-term as well as the long-term. The Performance Specification outcomes set out in Part 2, and the Investment Plan outputs set out in Part 3, complement each other. Together with the descriptive commitments contained in RIS3, these form the Performance Framework.

Overall, RIS3 sets out government’s forward-looking, growth-focused strategy to meet the challenges and opportunities facing the network. The significant investment, of over £27 billion, will ensure that the SRN will be maintained and enhanced for current and future generations.

Next steps

Over the months ahead, we expect National Highways to finalise its Strategic Business Plan and Delivery Plan for 2026-31, outlining its response to RIS3, how it will deliver the RIS3 and its final route strategy reports.

ORR will also publish the outcomes of its Efficiency Review.