The £1.8 billion Midlands road plan we've heard before

Highways England unveiled 10 projects to cut congestion and improve journeys in the West Midlands, including better links from the M54 in Shropshire.

The list of intended work was revealed at a launch in Birmingham.

• Building the M54/M6/M6 Toll link road, first announced in 2003, revived in 2010 and funding committed in 2013

• Constructing two bridges at Junction 10 of the M6 in the West Midlands at Walsall to widen the roundabout and create four lanes, announced in July last year by Chancellor George Osborne

• Upgrading the M6 junctions 13 to 15 from Stafford to Stoke to four-lane "smart motorways" with variable speed limits, first revealed in summer 2013

• M5 improvements between Junction 5 and 7, announced in December

To mark the announcement, Highways England regional director Tim Harbot said: "These new schemes will bring huge improvements to journeys around the Midlands.

"The Government has committed record funding to specific transport projects here so the Midlands can act as a transport hub for the entire country. As Highways England, we're delivering that investment to help to unlock billions for the economy by increasing road capacity, improving the flow of traffic and improving safety and accessibility for all road users."

But Midlands MP John Spellar was critical, saying many of the schemes had been announced at least three times in the past year.

The Labour MP for Warley said: "I am absolutely astonished that the transport department and their companies are continuing to re-heat existing proposals and give the impression that they are new.

"Good hardy folk in the West Midlands will not be fooled by this. We want less talk and more action. When will they learn?"

Councillor Kuldip Sahota, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said hauliers and businesses in the region had been calling for such improvements – but so far there had been a lot of talk but not much action.

"I am sceptical, but at the same time I would hope for this to happen," he said.

"For the last four years we have had nothing but talk and meetings. People keep asking what happened to those plans, and I can't tell them anything.

"I would rather they get on with it – they keep promising the money but nothing much happens."

A Highways England spokesman said it was the first time the company, which has replaced the Highways Agency in April, had to discuss details of the plans.

Officials met with suppliers yesterday to set out how the money will be spent to improve the roads.

In total, £600 million will be spent on maintenance, including £160 million to resurface more than 900 miles of carriageway, £225 million for repairing and renewing structures like bridges and viaducts, and £60 million to improve vehicle barriers by 2020.

Bosses said they are yet to choose what route the M54/M6/M6 Toll link road will take. Three options were revealed in 2014. Work is planned to start in 2018 or 2019 and to be completed by 2022.

Construction on the roundabout at Junction 10 of the M6 in Walsall is expected to start in 2020.

And the smart motorway system, which allows traffic to use the hard shoulder and regulates speed to prevent traffic jams caused by sudden braking, will be extended further along the M6.

It will run all the way from Junction 2 at Coventry to Junction 15 at Stoke. The work between Junction 13 and 15 is due to start in 2017 or 2018 and finish by 2022.

Construction work between M6 junctions 10a and 13 will be finished by Christmas, officials said.

Bosses also said the proposed nationalisation of the M6 Toll in leaked documents of the West Midlands Combined Authority would not alter their plans.