£200m investment to improve roads across the south west of England
Millions of roads in the south west of England are to be improved following the announcement from Highways England that it plans to deliver a £200 million package of improvements across the region over the next few months.
The announcement comes after Highways England invested a similar amount in the south west last year.
Responsible for motorways and major A-roads, the company’s investment will fund vital infrastructure and boost both connections and local economies as we build back better from the pandemic.
Well-known motorways and major A-roads including the M4, M5, A40 and A38 are all included in the package. Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists all set to benefit from the planned works, which include road resurfacing and maintenance, the creation of cycle lanes, improved signage and landscaping.
Funded from the Government’s Road Investment Strategy, in total Highways England will spend £200 million during the financial year into more than 121 of these kinds of schemes across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.
Highways England has a comprehensive maintenance programme, with schemes including:
- M5 junction 11 Golden Valley – bridge refurbishment and resurfacing
- M4 junction 15 – additional lane to create improved access to housing and jobs
- M5 between junction 23 and 25 – introducing message signs, incident detection and signalling, queue protection, speed management and enhanced CCTV coverage
- A38 Mowhay bridge – widening the footpath for cyclists and pedestrians
- A40 in Gloucestershire – upgrading six miles of cycleway
Recently, the company completed a local authority project to improve the National Cycleway Network between Cribbs Causeway and Severn Beach, with a scheme also nearing completion on the A36 in Salisbury, while the £2.89 million Mowhay project will see the current footbridge modified for both cyclists and walkers, and another project set to start on the A38 in Plymouth.
