The government is funding at least £725bn for infrastructure over the next decade, it said on Sunday, ahead of publishing its 10-year Infrastructure Strategy later this week. It has not yet said how much private capital it will seek to fulfil its commitments. 

The strategy will bring “a decade of renewal” with the aim to modernise transport, housing, energy and public services, the Treasury has said, which it expects to drive jobs creation and growth. 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said infrastructure has been “left to crumble, holding back communities and stunting economic growth”, and promised to change this. 

The Strategy, for which the government sought investor views in January, is expected to reveal how private investors can access relevant projects and will set out the infrastructure priorities, such as:  

 

To deliver this, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority was set up in April, bringing together the former Infrastructure and Projects Authority and National Infrastructure Commission. 

Nista’s chief executive Becky Wood said the Infrastructure Strategy will provide “the stability that businesses, investors and communities need, as well as tackling head on the fundamental issues that the sector has experienced over recent years”.  

On Monday, the Treasury spelled out that the road network will receive £1bn through the Structures Fund, while an additional £590m will be spent on the Lower Thames Crossing. The delayed tunnel under the river Thames will connect Kent and Essex and is estimated to cost about £9bn. It is not yet clear whether private investors will be involved.  

Other tunnels that have already been completed include the Silvertown Tunnel, financed by Riverlinx – a consortium of Cintra, Aberdeen Standard Investments, BAM PPP, Macquarie Capital and SK E&C – and the second Tyne Tunnel, financed and built by French engineering giant Bouygues.   

The Treasury is emphasising the need to improve bridges in particular, noting that about 3,000 are currently unable to support the heaviest vehicles, while the number of bridge collapses has risen. 

“The Structures Fund will inject cash into repairing run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels across Britain, and ensure other transport infrastructure is both more resilient to extreme weather events and to the demands of modern transport - making everyday journeys safer, smoother and more dependable,” the department said.  

For example, in August 2016, a footbridge collapsed onto the M20 in Kent, crushing a lorry. Hammersmith Bridge in London remains closed to motorised vehicles over severe structural issues. Some motorway bridges built of concrete are experiencing corrosion due to greater temperature fluctuations as climate change becomes more extreme.  

Not all projects are uncontroversial, however. The new Silvertown Tunnel was fought by some residents, who said low income neighboorhoods would suffer from increased traffic and be faced with tolls. The tunnel shares the Blackwall Tunnel southern approach, which already suffers from congestion. Its close proximity to the Blackwall Tunnel also means a vast area of East London remains without any bridge or tunnel up to the Dartford Crossing on the M25.   

Elsewhere, Labour’s decision last year to cancel a plan to turn the A1 in Northumberland into a dual carriageway caused consternation in the North East, especially as some residents had already had to relocate. 

The 10-year Infrastructure Strategy follows last week’s Spending Review, and the introduction of the planning and infrastructure bill in March this year.