£135m cash boost to fix broken roads
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS FUNDING
NATIONAL Highways has announced the multi-million pound funding of a package of road improvement measures across Yorkshire and the North East in the next twelve months, including on the A63.
Resurfacing works will take place on the A63 between North Cave and South Cave, an area which drivers described in February as an “accident waiting to happen”.
In total, National Highways will spend more than £135 million on over 300 maintenance and renewal schemes across the region, which covers a total of 670 miles.
Work on the A1, A1(M), M1 and M62 are also planned.
National Highways regional director Simon Boyle said: “Hundreds of thousands of people rely on National Highways motorways and major A-roads daily for work journeys, home deliveries, the movement of goods and services or to travel to meet friends and family, so it’s essential that we keep them in a good condition to ensure safety and reliability.
“Here in Yorkshire and the North East our 670-mile network sits at the heart of the region’s infrastructure, from the motorways that span the region, to the city roads of Leeds and Newcastle, and rural single carriageways.
“Providing access to international gateways – from ports at Grimsby and Immingham and Tees and Hartlepool, to airports at Teesside and Leeds-bradford - our road system supports business growth. It also brings tourism to our stunning natural, cultural and historic attractions. This investment means that we can continue our work to deliver the essential maintenance and vital upgrades that will help keep drivers on the move throughout the region, wherever their journey takes them.”
The announced work on the A63 between North Cave and South Cave comes just four months after the end of improvement works along the same area.
It also follows complaints from drivers earlier this year about the road surface with regular A63 driver Louise Sykes stating back then: “I’ve been driving a while and they are the worst potholes that I have ever seen.”
Between June 2021 and February 2022, £5.2m work took place to replace the central barriers on the A63 from Junction 38 of the A63/M62 at North Cave and to the A63 at South Cave, with a road closure in place overnight on weekdays.
National Highways has previously indicated that the resurfacing work will take place in the summer.
Other maintenance project in Yorkshire and the North-east that will take place in the next 12 months thanks to National Highways funding announcement include:
■ New facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians along the A616 at Underbank in South Yorkshire
■ Renewal of traffic signals on the A64 at Rillington, Staxton and Sherburn in North Yorkshire
■ Parapet replacement on the M62 between junction 24 and 25 in West Yorkshire.