A five-year promise to provide almost 1500 miles of new lanes on some of the country’s biggest roads has failed according to one of the UK’s most prominent transport politicians.

Labour’s Shadow Transport Minister, Jim McMahon, has said drivers will be delayed over the Christmas period as the country's infrastructure has not been improved, despite a £15bn ‘masterplan’ announced in December 2014.

According to recent analysis, of the 1,300 miles of road improvements announced in ‘the biggest road-building programme’ in 50 years, only 350 miles of the project has been completed more than six years on.

The plan was supposed to see a major new tunnel to bypass Stonehenge, turning the A1 into a duel carriageway from Newcastle to the Scottish borders, and the first major investments on the Pennines routes since the early 1970s. But very little work has been completed on any of the projects.

“The scale of delay and failure to deliver calls into question promises Boris Johnson made,” said McMahon.

“People wanting to take advantage of a very short window in which to travel to see their loved ones should not have to pay the price for the Government’s lack of planning.”

The major infrastructure plan was also supposed to provide electric vehicle charging points every 20 miles on the major road networks, something which is yet to be implemented. However the Government is confident their short-term plans will ease congestion.

The Department for Transport said: “The Government has appointed a Christmas travel tsar to minimise disruption.”

“We recognise that some people will need to travel to see their family over Christmas.”

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