Tees Valley mayor announces ?1bn infrastructure package

The Mayor of Tees Valley has announced a £1bn infrastructure package for the region.

Ben Houchen

At an event earlier this week in Middlesborough, Ben Houchen announced a number of major schemes, including a pledge to bring 15 electric trackless trams to serve Middlesborough, Redcar, Stockton, Hartlepool and Darlington town centres.

The funding package will also see £60m invested in transport technology to cut journey times and money for the A689 road scheme between Hartlepool and Stockton and the next phase of a new Tees flyover.

There will also be cash for a park and ride facility and transport hub as part of a £40m overhaul of South Bank railway station, and a £40m boost for gauge clearance work for freight on the Eaglescliffe to Northallerton railway line.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We have an ambitious package of improvements planned which will revolutionise travel across Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool. Not only will these projects make a positive difference to everyone’s day to day travel, but they will also boost our continued plan to make our region an economic powerhouse with access to good, well-paid, long-term jobs.

“Be it at Darlington Station, Middlesbrough Station, or at our airport, we can show a record of delivery – but now we can offer the promise of much, much more for the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”

Houchen has already announced some of his infrastructure plans earlier this month, including a £1m study to explore the viability of a new crossing of the river Tees and a commitment to rebuild the railway station at Teeside Airport

The funding and project allocations will be subject to a decision at Cabinet later this month.

Full list of proposed allocations:

Darlington Northern Link Road – £250million

Teesside Park station, work at Thornaby Station and Tees Marshalling Yards transport interchange – £150million

Local Highway Authority improvement funding – £83million

Investment in the Urban Traffic Management and Control Centre and digital technology to improve traffic and pedestrian flows and safety and create a landscape for autonomous vehicles – £60million

A package to deliver A689 corridor improvements – £50million

Package to deliver improvements to local journeys to access employment, education and health – £45million

Deliver infrastructure to allow direct rail services between Darlington and Hartlepool – £40million

Deliver a package of interventions to sort A66 capacity constraints on the Middlesbrough – Teesport – Redcar route, including at Greystones roundabout, widening the A1085 Trunk Road, and work on the Tees Dock Road/Lackenby access route – £40million

South Bank railway station improvements and transport hub park and ride facility – £40million

Deliver a new platform three for Middlesbrough Station at a faster pace – £40million

Improving freight access to the rail network – gauge clearance work on Eaglescliffe to Northallerton line – £35million

Work to improve roads, bridges and infrastructure on the Middlesbrough Council-owned stretch of the A66 north of the town – £20million

Bringing the Transporter Bridge back into action – £30million

Delivering a British Steel Lorry Park – £20million

Deliver the redevelopment of Teesside International Airport railway station – £20million

Delivery of 15 trackless autonomous electric trams in Tees Valley town centres – £20million

Bus Station improvements for Middlesbrough – £15million

More work on options for an A19 Tees Crossing – £15million

A scheme with businesses to offer subsidised access to cars to access employment and education – £10million

Contribution to deliver A19 junction improvements, Elwick bypass and Hartlepool Western Link – £5million

Develop a rail devolution proposal to Government to gain more control and meaningful powers over services which run here – £5million

Eastern Tees Crossing feasibility study – £1million

Money to draw up a case for the electrification of the rail route between Northallerton and Saltburn – £3million

Feasibility study to examine removing West Dyke Crossing, Redcar – £1million

East Cleveland rail feasibility study for Saltburn to Boulby line to be opened to passengers – £1million

Middlesbrough to Nunthorpe rail enhancement feasibility study for more services – £1million

References

^{^} Meet Ben Houchen: the man putting the power back into Teesside (www.building.co.uk)