Government invests £93m in major road upgrade scheme

The government is to spend £93m on major road upgrades as part of its attempts to “level up” the country.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the north would receive over half of the funding, with up to £56m invested on an overhaul of the Kex Gill section of the A59 in North Yorkshire.

He said the upgrade would improve connectivity between Harrogate and Skipton and divert traffic away from the landslip-prone Kex Gill.

The West Midlands will see £24m spent on congestion reducing measures at Birchley Island, situated at the intersection of the M5, A4123 and A4034, which the government said would boost employment, improve air quality and increase the region’s manufacturing output.

Hampshire will receive £13m for upgrades to the Redbridge Causeway bridges over the river Test.

Shapps said the investment was “further proof of this government delivering on its promise to level up the country - putting transport at the heart of our efforts to build back better from Covid-19”.

The total cost of the three schemes is expected to hit £107m, with councils providing the remainder of the funding following the government’s investment.