A major £600 million investment in transport network improvements for the north-east of England is to get underway in the coming months.

The money will be invested over the next five years and will help in the delivery of six new road schemes, as well as enabling the further development of four existing major projects.

Road development improvements will be completed on the A1 and A19 in the coming years, while several other important trunk routes across the region will also be upgraded.

Examples include work getting underway on the £70 million improvement programme for the A19 Testos junction in 2017/18 and the introduction of new technologies to better manage future traffic flows along both the A1 and A19 carriageways, beginning in 2016.

The project forms part of the government's £11 billion Roads Investment Strategy during the course of this coming parliament, with the aim of ensuring the north-east equally benefits as part of efforts to develop the much vaunted "northern powerhouse" in the years ahead.

Highways England director of major projects in the north Jeremy Bloom stated: "These schemes will bring significant benefits to the users of the strategic road network in the north-east.

"Construction will, of course, bring some necessary disruption in the short term and we will ensure that we keep this to a minimum to keep traffic flowing."

His comments were echoed by secretary of state for transport Patrick McLoughlin, who added: "Our £600 million investment in roads in the north-east over the next five years will dramatically improve our road network and unlock the north's economic potential."