£16m for Midland roads along HS2 railway route
MORE than £16 million has been granted to the West Midlands to improve cycling and road safety along the planned HS2 route.
The funding is part of a wider package of £30 million to cover the entire route of the new high-speed rail line from central London to Birmingham via the airport.
Department for Transport said the cash could be used for traffic calming measures, safer pedestrian crossings or safer junctions for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
The funding has been granted to four local authorities as follows: Birmingham City Council (£2.66 million), Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (£2.43 million), Staffordshire County Council (£2.97 million) and Warwickshire County Council (£8.04 million). The £30 million package has been handed to 13 different councils situated along the route with Warwickshire receiving the largest slice of the capital.
The first phase of the new high-speed line is due to be operational in 2026 and will run from London to a station close to Birmingham Airport before terminating in the city centre in Curzon Street.
Later phases will go from Birmingham to the North West and Yorkshire via the East Midlands.
HS2 minister Paul Maynard MP said: “This significant investment will mean a legacy of road and cycle safety improvements for people who live and work along the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands.
“HS2 will become the backbone of our national rail network – supporting growth and regeneration and helping us build a Britain fit for the future.
“As part of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project, we are minimising the effects of building the new railway as much as possible.
“This money for the West Midlands will see areas up and down the route benefit from high-quality road and cycle safety projects to ensure that England’s roads remain among the safest in the world.”
HS2’s chief executive Mark Thurston added: “Safety, environmental protection and being sensitive to the impact of our work on local communities are at the heart of HS2’s approach to construction.
“That’s why we welcome this announcement and look forward to working with local highways authorities along the route.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that the new funding leaves a positive local legacy of improved road safety for communities once HS2 is complete.”