North gets £17m to make roads safer

Funding from the Department for Transport will look to design new junctions and roundabouts, resurface roads, improve pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes, and enhance signage and road markings on the A6, A19, A583, A579, A676, and A690.

The £17.3m allocated for these improvements is part of a £38.3m pot from the government to make 120 miles of roads safer.

Each of the 17 roads chosen nationally for the money was selected using data by the Road Safety Foundation. The foundation estimates that by improving these roads 385 lives will be saved over the next 20 years.

Transport secretary Mark Harper said that there was always work to be done to improve the safety of the English road network.

“As part of the government’s plan to improve roads across the country, we’re providing an extra £38 million so that local councils in England have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while reducing congestion and helping to grow the economy.”

Bolton Council was awarded £2.4m to do work on the A579 and A676, while Lancashire County Council was granted £4.5m for the A6 and another £1.5m for the A583.

North Yorkshire County Council and Doncaster City Council were each allocated £3m for the A19.

In the North East, Durham County Council was granted £2.9m for work on the A690.

Outside the North, Bristol Council was awarded £2.3m for the A432, Devon County Council £5m for the A361, and Essex County Council £3.6m for the A113.

North Northamptonshire County Council was allocated £2.2m for the A6, while Nottingham City Council is set for £2.8m for the A60 and A6200. Oxfordshire County Council was granted £2.2m for the A420, and Solihull Council £1.3m for the A41.

Shropshire Council and East Sussex County Council were awarded £650,000 and £875,000 for the A5191 and A2101, respectively.