The Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, has responded to correspondence co-signed by the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) regarding the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) and strategic roads investment.

The Secretary of State for Transport responded on the 8^th October 2026. 

Alexander highlighted how the UK Government recognises the critical role that the Strategic Road Network (SRN) plays in supporting economic growth, national connectivity and resilience and understands the value a stable, multi-year funding pipeline giving delivery partners the clarity needed to plan, invest and retain capability.

The Secretary of State outlined that the £428mn funding reprioritisation from the RIS3 settlement to the DIP, the government remains committed to major SRN upgrades such as the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine in the North and Lower Thames Crossing in the South-East.

Alexander notes that the consultation process on proposals to proposals relating to the A38 Derby Junctions and the A46 Newark Bypass enhancements ended in September 2026. The outcome of the consultation process is due to the published in due course.

The Department for Transport is not due to propose changes to any other major enhancement schemes.

Alexander finally notes that she recognises the importance of providing visibility of future investment to support workforce planning, skills retention and business confidence and notes that government investment through RIS3 supports around 50,000 jobs through National Highways’ supply chain.

CIHT previously wrote to the Transport Secretary on the 3^rd July 2026, in a letter co-ordinated by Association of Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), to highlight industry uncertainty that emerged surrounding the future of the strategic roads programme following the publication of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) and associated announcements regarding the reprioritisation of capital investment.

The full letter from Secretary of State Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP is available to read here.

Other co-signatories to the letter included:

Milda Manomaityte, CEO - Association of Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)

Sue Percy CBE, CEO - Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)

Max Sugarman, CEO - Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK)

Chris Cassley, Policy Director - Construction Products Association (CPA) 

Ben Goodwin, Director of Policy & Public Affairs - Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)

Richard Smith, MD - Road Haulage Association (RHA)

The full letter from ACE to the Transport Secretary is available to read here.

CIHT looks forward to continuing to collaborate with the Secretary of State, the Department for Transport, the UK Government, and industry stakeholders on ensuring that the UK’s transport networks are fit for the future.