The Department for Transport has announced a first wave of funding which will enable 18 new road schemes to move onto the next stage of development, providing upgrades to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion, and delivering improved journeys.
On Monday (30 September) the Government announced the first round of successful schemes, which will now move on to the next stage of development. The four schemes which have been approved for construction include the Preston western distributor scheme, which will provide a new dual carriageway to reduce congestion in the city, and the 3.5km Stubbington bypass. Seven other schemes will be awarded funding to develop their business cases, including the A140 Long Stratton Bypass, which will divert traffic away from busier routes around Norwich, and the A511 growth corridor, which will see a series of improvements to improve access to jobs and services in Leicestershire.
A further 7 schemes have been given approval to proceed and to apply for funding at a later stage.
On top the £100 million announced today, there will also be £25.3 billion invested in the strategic road network between 2020 and 2025. The second Road Investment Strategy, which is due to be announced later this year, will set out in detail how this funding will be deployed. CECA will keep members informed.
Schemes given funding to proceed to construction by the Government today include:
- £31 million for the Preston western distributor scheme: a new dual carriageway link between the M55 and the A583 is designed to improve travel between the enterprise zone at Warton and the Springfields nuclear facility at Salwick, as well as reduce congestion in Preston and directly lead to the creation of 3,575 houses and the creation of over 500 jobs. Through the Lancashire County Council funded link road, a further 1,745 houses will also be built;
- £25.5 million for the Stubbington bypass: a new 3.5km single carriageway road will improve the environment in the village with the removal of traffic as well as improve access to development sites in Gosport;
- £22.5 million for the White Hart junction: improving the intersection between the A419 and A420 to the east of Swindon which will not only benefit existing users of the junction but also help unlock development of the New Eastern Villages site which includes over 8,650 dwellings and 40 ha of employment land. By itself, the White Hart junction scheme will unlock the development of 799 dwellings;
- £22.9 million for the Wichelstowe southern access scheme: construction of an access road to the Wichelstowe development site under the M4 motorway which will unlock an additional 2,500 residential units on top of the currently permitted 2000 units.
Schemes which have been awarded development fund and which are at their strategic outline business case stage include:
- Tyne Bridge and Central motorway renewal
- A38 Bromsgrove route enhancement programme
- A511 growth corridor (Leicestershire)
- A38 – (Bristol Airport access improvement)
- A38 Manadon interchange (Plymouth)
- A374/A386/A3064 Plymouth MRN phase 1
- A140 Long Stratton bypass
Schemes given approval to proceed to the next stage include:
- A1079 improvement – East Riding of Yorkshire
- Isham bypass, Northamptonshire
- A28 Birchington, Acol and Westgate-on-Sea relief road
- Southampton West Quay road realignment
- A146 Barnby bends
- Lombard roundabout (Croydon)
- A13 Lodge Lane (Dagenham)
CECA has welcomed the Government’s commitment to an “infrastructure revolution” and now look forward to this investment moving towards delivery, so that communities and businesses in all parts of the UK can benefit.