Lancashire to receive £44m investment to 'improve roads and boost connections'

Hundreds-of-millions-of-pounds worth of upgrades have already been made to the nation’s road and rail networks during the lockdown period with more planned over the coming weeks and months.

The £1.7 billion Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund will help every area in England outside London to improve its roads, repair bridges and fill in millions of potholes, according to the government.

Lancashire is set to receive £44.379m in funding, with Blackpool receiving £3.935m.

The package will target around 1.5 million nuisance potholes across the North West. It will also see smaller improvements completed to upgrade local networks, such as enhancing road safety at key locations, the installation of priority bus lanes and the creation of projects to help lock in improvements in air quality experienced during lockdown.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: "It is vital that we continue to stay at home and only travel when it is essential to do so, but as people slowly begin to return to our roads over the coming weeks and months, we want to ensure they are in the best shape possible.

"The funding we are allocating will help make journeys smoother, quicker and safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians."

The £1.7 billion is being automatically allocated based on the length of local authorities’ roads, helping to reduce pressures on staff at this time by removing the need to apply manually for funding.

The government is also accelerating more than £175 million worth of work during the quieter period across the road and rail network while people follow guidance to avoid unnecessary travel.

Major improvement works have already taken place over the past month, with England’s motorways and major A-roads benefiting from £200 million of work carried out in April while some £550 million of improvements and maintenance have been completed on the rail network.

Blackpool Council have also been continuing with works, including a reconstruction scheme in the town centre - using an innovative approach to the design and build using recycled products.

This comes after the Transport Secretary last week announced £2 billion in funding to boost more sustainable greener travel and encourage more people to begin cycling and walking.