Major Road Network

[1] The MRN would be separated into four tiers: Quarmby and Carey did not propose transferring responsibility for the MRN from the current maintainers and operators to an enlarged Highways England but suggested that Highways England surpluses resulting from the reallocation of Vehicle Excise Duty receipts to the organisation could be forwarded to local authorities to support the maintenance of the network.

[2]: 3  The greater use of technology-driven solutions for MRN roads was also suggested, in a similar way to how the SRN has seen more technology investment, such as with smart motorways.

[3]: 14  The government's aims were to reduce congestion, support economic growth in the regions, increase housebuilding outputs, meet the needs of all road users and to create resilience within the network.

The DfT called for local authorities to submit bids so that 10 top priority schemes in each region could be considered for funding in the 2020-25 budget period.

£3.5 billion was made available from the DfT's National Roads Fund, though there is a requirement for a 15% contribution from local authority or third party sources.