A nationwide programme of pothole repairs and road resurfacing projects, the first tranche of the £8.3bn in reallocated High Speed 2 (HS2) funding, has been revealed by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The DfT also announced [10 April 2024] that 102 of the 119 authorities that received funding have responded to the department’s survey request to set out their plans, meaning local people can now check their local council’s websites and scrutinise their plans for themselves.
Among the regions pledging to resurface the highest volume of roads are councils in the West and East Midlands, with plans outlined for problem spots including:
- A43 at Towcester
- A164 between Beverley and Hessle
- A4146 at Leighton Buzzard
READ MORE: AA declares October 2023 ‘worst month on record’ for pothole callouts
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “We’re on the side of drivers, which is why this government is getting on with delivering our plan to invest an additional £8.3bn in the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.
“Alongside this unprecedented funding, which is already being used to improve local roads, we’re making sure local people can hold their local authority to account and see for themselves how the investment will be spent to improve local roads for years to come.”
As a condition of this funding, and to make sure money is being spent on pothole repairs, local authorities are required to publish a 2-year plan detailing exactly which local roads will benefit.
Councils have already been paid £15om to get on with the work and deliver improvements, with another £150m following in this financial year.
READ MORE: UK to crack down on ‘disruptive street works’ to reduce congestion and improve roads
RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “It’s very encouraging to see so many local authorities quickly setting out how they’ll use the first tranche of the government’s reallocated HS2 funding to improve their roads.
“Drivers will be pleased to see potholes fixed and roads resurfaced, especially as our research shows the poor state of local carriageways is their number-one concern.
“We hope councils will also use this extra money to carry out vital surface dressing work which helps prevent cracking in the cold winter months by sealing roads against water ingress. The prime time for this life-extending work is between April and September, so time is of the essence.”
Achievements and innovations in transport planning will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations are open now! Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
