£167m of investment announced to improve roads in Cornwall and South West
National Highways says it will bring safer, quicker and easier journeys to millions of motorists
Last updated 6th Jun 2022
£167m of investment has been announced to help improve roads across Cornwall and the South West.
National Highways says the cash will be spent on maintenance around to roads, pavements and bridges across the region over the next 12 months, including on the M5 and Cornwall's A30 and A38.
We are told will bring safer, quicker and easier journeys to million of motorists.
Well-known motorways and major A-roads including the M5, M4, A40, A36, A303, A30 and A38 are all included in the planned package.
Bosses say motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are all set to benefit from the planned works, which include road resurfacing, bridge joint replacements, the creation of cycle lanes, improved signage and landscaping.
In total, National Highways will spend £167 million on more than 100 schemes across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.
Mark Fox, National Highways Interim Regional Director, said: “Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day for work journeys, home deliveries and the movement of the goods and services, so it’s essential we keep them in a good condition to ensure safety and reliability.
“With this investment, National Highways will continue to deliver the essential maintenance and upgrades throughout the region to improve safety and help keep drivers on the move.”
National Highways will begin work on its comprehensive maintenance programme in the coming weeks, with schemes including:
• M5 Junction 16 Patchway and Almondsbury Interchange deck refurbishments
• M5 Junctions 20-21 St Georges Railway Bridge deck refurbishment
• A36 Dundas Retaining Wall
• A36 Bath to Monkton Combe Drainage
• M5 Junctions 10-11 Bamfurlong Lane deck refurbishment
• M5 Junctions 13-14 Michaelwood Footbridge replacement
• A38 Chudleigh Station Drainage Improvements
This latest investment into the region's roads follows on from last year’s essential maintenance programme which saw National Highways pump £200m into the completion of 121 road renewal and maintenance projects.
Over the past 12 months, National Highways resurfaced 277 lane km (172.1 miles) of motorways and major A-roads in the South West, using 221,177 tonnes of resurfacing material.
A further 84,948 road studs were laid to help light the way for drivers, 77kms (47.8 miles) of safety barrier were renewed, with 23kms (14 miles) of drainage improvements to reduce carriageway flooding and 36 new bridge joints.