Major North East road investment to create 300 jobs

300 construction jobs will be supported in 2014 by more than £64m of investment in the North East’s roads, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill announced today.

Twelve schemes in the region will either start or be completed in 2014 including upgrading the A1 between Lobley Hill and the Dunston Interchange; repairing a 300m length of the B6344 near Rothbury, Northumberland, that has been closed due to a landslip; reducing congestion at the A19 / A174 junction and improvements to the A1 at Seaton Burn and A19 Fisher Lane roundabout to reduce peak hour congestion.

Nationally, investment in 209 schemes totals £4.3 billion, £1.9 billion of which will be spent in 2014 alone - more than twice the amount spent in 2013.

These road programmes are estimated to boost the economy by over £18.8 billion and are part of a £100 billion package of investment in Britain’s infrastructure over the next seven years; the largest programme of investment since the 1970s.

The roads programme is just one part the Government’s drive to prioritise investment in projects that provide an economic boost, and will help create a high-performance road network that can cope with the expected 43% increase in traffic by 2040.

Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said: “Roads are the lifeblood that keeps our economy going – they create jobs and help get products to markets. This government is committed to delivering the modern infrastructure we need to compete in the global race, investing across the board to cut congestion and reduce journey times in roads, rail and local transport.

“We are already seeing massive improvements being made to our major roads and motorways. In 2014 the public will see even greater improvements right across the country.”

Over half of the 209 schemes are due for completion next year. This will be followed in 2015 by an even larger programme of improvement and investment on our major roads, with spending rising to £3 billion a year by 2020.

The Government’s £28 billion commitment, as part of the 2013 Spending Review, will deliver extra capacity to motorways, along with 52 major road projects funded and delivered between this parliament and 2020/21.

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury Lord Deighton said: “The government is delivering the infrastructure the UK needs to have a modern, successful economy. All eight roads schemes promised under this government have been delivered ahead of schedule, and at the Spending Round we set out the most ambitious programme of investment since the 1970s.

“We’re prioritising the projects that will drive forward growth and next year 10,000 jobs will be created as a result, proving that this vital investment will bring benefits to people across the country.”

Those schemes under construction in 2014 include: 178 “pinch point” schemes that tackle local bottlenecks on our roads, and 31 “major schemes” to dramatically improve key networks.

Schemes that are due to start or complete in 2014 also include: M4 J19-20 and M6 J5-8 near Birmingham, A11 Fiveways to Thetford near Norwich, M25 J23-27, A45/A46 Tollbar End and M1 J19 improvements in the Midlands, A23 Handcross to Warninglid near Crawley, the M3 J2-4a in the South East and the A1 Leeming to Barton in the North of England.

Earlier this year the Department for Transport published ‘Action for Roads’ a command paper which set out the long-term vision for the road network.

The reforms will see the Highways Agency turned into a government-owned company, helping to improve efficiency and reduce running costs.

A consultation on the proposed changes to the Highways Agency is now open here.

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