Government invests £3.3bn to improve roads in North West

The Government has committed over GBP3.3 billion over five years to upgrade and maintain roads across the North West, focusing on resurfacing, fixing potholes and replacing ageing sections of the network. The investment is part of the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which will support large-scale projects intended to boost connectivity and drive economic growth. Heidi Alexander, Transport Secretary, said: "For too long this country has failed to tackle and fix our crumbling infrastructure, but this GBP3.3 billion investment will secure the future of our road network in the North West for years to come."

Planned improvements include the dualling of the A66 between Cumbria and North Yorkshire, upgrades to the Simister Island Interchange, and the new A57 Link Road, which aims to improve connections across Manchester. The Government is also allocating GBP8.4 billion to repair and renew England's motorways and major A-roads as part of its commitment to long-term infrastructure investment. This funding is in addition to the GBP7.3 billion promised at the Spending Review to help local authorities address potholes and maintain local roads.

The new Wigan East West link road, which will connect the A49 at Wigan to the A58 at Hindley, is among 16 schemes that have received the green light. The road could not be delivered without national funding. Schemes have been chosen for their "value for money and long-term deliverability".

Simon Lightwood, Roads and Buses Minister, said: "This Government is firmly putting its money where its mouth is, and this new funding will be transformational for the millions of drivers and thousands of businesses that rely on our motorways and A roads every day." Elliot Shaw, Executive Director at National Highways, said: "This major investment will help boost economic growth by improving and maintaining motorways and major A roads, which keep the country moving." He said it 'enables us to tackle an ageing network head-on and keep drivers safe',

The government has created an interactive map showing all the schemes that will be progressed during RIS3.

In a related commitment, the Government has pledged more than GBP800 million over four years to help North West councils address potholes on local roads.

A new rating system has also been introduced to show residents how effectively their council is using road maintenance funding.