Local authorities are to be awarded a share of a multi-million pound funding pot to repair roads and bridges, the Government has announced.
Roads minister Baroness Vere said on Friday that 32 councils will receive investment for essential repair works, levelling up infrastructure, cutting congestion, improving road conditions and making journeys easier.
The £93.4m funding boost includes over £4m for crucial repairs to the New Elvet Bridge in Durham along with £3.7m to help refurbish several steel bridges around Northumberland.
‘There is nothing more frustrating than a journey delayed by poor road conditions, and this multi-million pound boost will help improve connectivity across the country,’ Baroness Vere said.
‘This investment will not only help local areas to target current pinch points on their roads, but will also harness our world-leading research and innovation capabilities to future proof the next generation of journeys.’
The RAC’s head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes welcomed the news but called on the Government to provide ‘dedicated’ local roads funding.
‘Extra funding for local highways maintenance is welcome as drivers continue to tell us that poor road surfaces and congestion are significant concerns,’ he said.
‘In the long term, local authorities and drivers would benefit from dedicated local roads funding in order to plan long term maintenance, so we continue to call on the Government to consider ringfencing a small proportion of existing fuel duty revenues over a five year period to give authorities more scope to plan essential works such as reducing the number of potholes, repairing road defects and investing in technology to improve road maintenance procedures.’
