Multi-million-pound boost to improve roads in the South West

A multi-million-pound package to upgrade roads across the South West has been announced by National Highways.

£103 million has been secured in a bid to make journeys safer and smoother for millions of road users, with some of the upgrades already well underway.

In all, the cash will enable more than 75 maintenance and renewal projects on A roads and motorways across the region during the current 2023/4 financial year.

In the renewal plans, National Highways say they will be upgrading road resurfacing, refurbishing bridges, adding motorway safety barrier upgrades, bridge joint replacements, improved signage and drainage, as well as the renewal of traffic lights.

In all, 794 miles of carriageway in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall will see improvements.

Minister for Roads, Richard Holden said: “Over the next year, the South West will see over £100 million for maintaining, repairing and improving its roads. This substantial investment will ensure communities from Cornwall to Wiltshire are better connected, as we grow the economy, and drivers enjoy safe and reliable journeys.”

Jason Hones, National Highways' South West Regional Director, said: “It’s vital that National Highways’ motorways and A-roads are kept in good condition to make sure they remain safe, reliable and keep the South West moving.

“This investment will help us achieve the ambitious plans we have for our roads, the communities we serve and the environment.

“Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day for work journeys, home deliveries and the movement of goods and services, so it’s essential we continue to deliver the essential maintenance and upgrades throughout the region to keep them in a good condition to ensure safety and reliability.”

Among its comprehensive programme of renewals and improvements for 2023/24, National Highways is working to:

• Refurbish the decks of the M5 junction 15 and 16 bridges at the Almondsbury Interchange;
• Repair and refurbish the M5 Bamfurlong Lane bridge near Cheltenham;
• Refurbish structures at junctions 24 and 25 of the M5;
• Start a technology upgrade in the A38 Saltash Tunnel;
• Upgrade lighting to LED units along the M4, M5, M49 and A303;
• Repair retaining walls on the A36 at Dundas, near Bath;
• Stabilise a landslip alongside the A35 at Chideock.

In addition to the maintenance and renewals investment, around £5.5 million of funding will be spent on environmental and biodiversity projects and facilities for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians.

Already. upgrades to biodiversity have taken place on the A35 in Dorset, the M4 in Wiltshire and the A46 in Bath & North East Somerset, as well as with fish passes which have been installed alongside the A38 in Devon, and funding for new cycling and walking routes in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Alongside the expansive south west renewals programme, National Highways say they are also upgrading nine miles of the A30 to dual carriageway between Chiverton and Carland Cross in Cornwall, dualling three miles of the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester in Somerset and will start work later this year on the Missing Link scheme in Gloucestershire.

In the South West alone, National Highways looks after:

• 1,972 structures (including the two Severn Bridges, the Avonmouth Bridge, Wynhol, Exe and Exminster Viaducts, Saltash Tunnel, et cetera)
• 808 miles of safety barriers
• 540 miles of fencing, walls and environmental barriers
• 4,775 road studs
• 20,363 road signs

Over the past 12 months, National Highways’ investment has helped:

• Resurface 217 lane miles of road
• Lay 28,500 tonnes of resurfacing material
• Install 138 LED lighting heads
• Install 78,533 road studs
• Renew 25 miles of safety barrier
• Improve drainage to reduce carriageway flooding to 7.2 miles of road
• Install 6 new bridge expansion joints

You can find out more about their South West renewals scheme on their website.

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