Skip to main content

Major road schemes to reduce road congestion and boost economy

The Highways Agency is to deliver a further twenty-two schemes in the UK’s north-west to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety in the third, and final, stage of its pinch point programme. The schemes, representing an investment of US$47.7 million, will remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. Nationally, this stage of the programme comprises 58 schemes, worth US$151 million, that will be delivered by March 2015 and will bring an estimated US$2.1
April 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The 503 Highways Agency is to deliver a further twenty-two schemes in the UK’s north-west to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety in the third, and final, stage of its pinch point programme.

The schemes, representing an investment of US$47.7 million, will remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. Nationally, this stage of the programme comprises 58 schemes, worth US$151 million, that will be delivered by March 2015 and will bring an estimated US$2.1 billion of economic benefit.

Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said: “The Government is committed to cutting congestion and accelerating growth – that is why the Chancellor injected an extra US$154 million into the Highways Agency pinch point programme last autumn.

“This third round of innovative schemes has the potential to help create more than 94,000 new jobs and 61,000 new homes, while making life easier for the thousands of motorists and businesses who use these roads every day.”

The schemes are split into road improvement projects and technology schemes.

Road improvement projects have been developed in conjunction with local enterprise partnerships and local authorities to promote local economic growth. They will improve access to nearby development sites such as enterprise zones and locally designated areas, as well as to international and national gateways.

Technology schemes will install new technology to support the logistics industry and wider economic growth by improving driver information, signage and incident clear up times.

The majority of schemes from the first two stages of the programme are in the detailed design phase with construction due to start soon.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Dutch survey shows drivers are in favour of road user charging
    January 16, 2012
    'Keep it simple, stupid' is an oft-forgotten axiom but in terms of road user charging it is entirely appropriate. So says the ANWB's Ferry Smith. A couple of decades ago, it might have been largely true that the technology aspects of advanced road infrastructure were the main obstacles to deployment. However, 20 years or more of development have led to a situation where such 'obstacles' are often no more than a political fig-leaf. Area-wide Road User Charging (RUC) is a case in point; speak candidly to syst
  • TWM wins UK traffic sign deal
    March 1, 2021
    Firm to supply and install all electronic vehicle-activated signage in England’s Wirral
  • Putting a stop to intersection indecision
    March 9, 2015
    David Crawford takes a look at innovations to reduce crashes at rural intersections. Intersection crashes continue to represent a worryingly large share of deaths and serious injuries across US highway networks. Statistics from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration show that an average of 21% of road traffic accident deaths occur at crossings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that intersection crashes account for 48% of all injury-related i
  • Data exploits parking potential
    March 11, 2015
    David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.