Ministers have unveiled a £15 billion five-year strategy to upgrade English road networks including a 1.8 mile tunnel under Stonehenge in Wiltshire and improvements to the A1 north of Newcastle.

In all, 100 roads will be upgraded under 84 projects, the funding for which was first announced last year. The scheme will layer on around 1,300 miles of new lanes on motorways and trunk roads.

In a written statement to Parliament, transport minister Patrick McLoughlin called it, “an ambitious £15 billion plan to increase the capacity and condition of roads for motorists across England”.

Business groups welcomed the plans, with CBI director general John Cridland suggesting they were, “significant milestone in our journey towards the delivery of much-needed upgrades to our existing road network, the arteries of our economy”.

Meanwhile BCC director general John Longworth said: “The strategic road network is vital to the UK, but for too long it has suffered due to piecemeal investment and constant changes to government policy.

He added: “This approach must change if we are to ensure the road network can cope with the expected increase in traffic volume in the years ahead.”

Labour said the coalition had a track record of “all talk and no delivery”.