A66 dualling among schemes to get share of £3.3bn govt cash
Part of a wider £27bn investment in Britain’s roads over the next five years, the programme also includes upgrades to the perma-congested Simister Island in Bury as well as a link road in Wigan that could unlock thousands of homes.
The Department for Transport will invest £3.3bn improving motorways and A roads in the North West over the next five years in what the government is calling one of the largest ever road investment plans.
Among the projects in line to benefit is the long-awaited dualling of the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner.
Onc complete, the project will deliver an 80km route with two lanes in both directions, aimed at improving journey times and west-east connectivity.
Wigan Council Leader Cllr David Molyneux described the £127.8m slug of funding for the Wigan-to-Hindley link road as a “significant step forward” for a project that has been spoken about for decades.
The investment follows a £27m investment by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for the project, that will deliver a 4km connection extending the A49 Link Road over the West Coast Main Line to pave the way for 2,000 homes.
Simister Island has long caused misery for North Manchester commuters but cash from the government looks set to pave the way for capacity upgrades at the intersection between the M60 Junction 18, M62 and M66.
As well as new and expanded roads, money from the fund will also go towards fixing potholes and “futureproofing” the country’s highways, the government said.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander, said: “For too long this country has failed to tackle and fix our crumbling infrastructure, but this £3.3 billion investment will secure the future of our road network in the North West for years to come.
“Not only are we investing in renewing our roads, meaning smoother and faster journeys for drivers, we are getting on with investing into brand new projects and fixing potholes, which will deliver benefits across the country from Cumbria to Manchester.”
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