In the last financial year, four major schemes started work out of an initial six, and another 26 projects are scheduled to begin before next April. But the ORR says there are “further risks to delivery” of major schemes in the remainder of the road period, and points out they need “careful management to avoid further deferrals”.

Highways England is, however, meeting its target to deliver major improvement schemes to a revised plan agreed with the Department for Transport and the condition of strategic roads is said to be good.

The report also points out that delays on the network are increasing due to rising levels of traffic and road user satisfaction is below target.

But it also says that the number of people killed or seriously injured on Highways England roads has reduced over the last four years, that incidents are being cleared more quickly and roadwork disruption is coming down.

A more structured approach to maintenance is paying off, it adds, with the percentage of road surface in good condition slightly above target. Highways England is said to be performing well in terms of environmental stewardship and is improving efficiency, although more work is needed, the ORR adds, to provide supporting evidence in how costs are coming down.

ORR’s director of planning and performance Graham Richards said that Highways England’s plans for delivering improvements have changed significantly. But he added that it is “generally delivering in line with the changed plan and is keeping roads open and helping to make roads safer”.

“Highways England is doing well, however it can improve further,” Graham said. “Road user satisfaction is below target and congestion is rising and Highways England must take action in these areas.”

ORR’s roads report was published last Thursday, the same day as Highways England released its delivery plan for 2019-2020.

A Highways England spokesman said: “In total we are progressing over 90% (104 of 112) of schemes proposed in the original road investment programme in 2015. It was always presumed that there would be change to the first road investment programme – particularly with the large number of schemes that were at the very early stages of design.

“In a small minority of cases we have concluded that schemes do not represent value for money or are unacceptable to stakeholders. In these cases, it is right that the schemes should not go ahead.”

(Highways England)