Highways England primes £600m for North-east's roads

Highways England has announced it will spend £600m on improving roads in the North-east by 2020.

The money will be spent on significant improvements to the region’s roads, which includes beginning or completing work on six major A roads and starting development on a further four road schemes.

The four new schemes include major works done on the A19, with a £70m flyover to be built over the Testos junction, a £40m improvement made to the Downhill Lane junction, around £140m spent on improving technology on both the A1 and A19, and between £140m and £220m spent on a road widening project to relieve congestion on the A19 from Norton to Wynyard.

In addition to the £600m investment, the government-owned company said a further £130m a year will be spent for the next five years on maintenance and smaller scale improvement schemes across Yorkshire and the North East.

Highways England has a five-year budget of over £11bn to invest in England’s motorways and major A roads.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the investment will “dramatically improve our road network and unlock the north’s economic potential.”

He added: “It will play a key part in building the Northern Powerhouse, creating jobs and opportunities and benefiting hardworking families across the north east.”

Vanessa Gilbert, Highways England’s divisional director for Yorkshire and the north east, said: “Motorways and trunk roads form the backbone of the region’s economy and this huge investment will ensure they remain healthy for many years to come.”