English counties are being invited to compete for a share of £490M from Government that will go towards upgrading the local road network to improve journeys and boost growth.

 

Bids are encouraged for a wide variety of congestion cutting schemes, including those that make use of the latest technology and which open up the data held by local councils.

 

The competition runs until 30 June. Funding comes from the £1.3Bn National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) and will be allocated to schemes taking place from 2018 up to the end of the decade.

 

Transport Minister Andrew Jones commented: “We are investing record amounts on our roads – spending more than £23Bn on providing better journeys for motorists. We are also committing a further £1.3Bn up to 2020 to cut congestion and provide important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future.

 

“This money will allow councils to go even further to improve their roads and will be targeted at areas which need it most, providing a significant boost to the UK’s economy.”

 

The new £490M competition comes following allocation of an initial £185M tranche of money from the NPIF, which is already making a difference according to the Government.

 

In the north of England this includes improving roads in Blackpool, better access to the M65 near Blackburn, improving the A483 and A55 for the expansion of Chester Business Park.

 

Meanwhile in the South West it is set to fund a critical link in Bridgwater supporting construction of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and housing development in south Bridgwater.

 

♦ Arrival of self driving vehicles will add weight to the case for increased maintenance spending on the UK’s highway network according to research published by the RAC Foundation.

 

Commenting on the group’s new report ‘Readiness of the road network for connected and autonomous vehicles’ RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “Driverless cars will make decisions based on their best assessment of their surroundings.

 

“Throw in variables like potholes, unclear and obscured signs and lines, and intermittent communication coverage from our currently patchy network and you could find that far from offering the swift, comfortable travel we seek, our new autonomous cars are condemned to crawling along in ‘proceed with caution’ mode.

 

“Getting the road infrastructure right is integral to ensuring an all-round safe system.”