Skip to main content

£25 million boost to tackle UK highway bottlenecks

Ten schemes to remove bottlenecks on the local UK highway network and support economic growth have been given the green light by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin. This £25 million in funding, the first allocation from the US$258 million Local Pinch Point Fund programme, will enable early delivery of these schemes and will help support employment while unlocking development sites to help local businesses and communities.
March 26, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Ten schemes to remove bottlenecks on the local UK highway network and support economic growth have been given the green light by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

This £25 million in funding, the first allocation from the US$258 million Local Pinch Point Fund programme, will enable early delivery of these schemes and will help support employment while unlocking development sites to help local businesses and communities.

Patrick McLoughlin said: “Tackling bottlenecks on the highway network will help keep get the country moving and the economy growing. I want to see this work underway and shovels in the ground as soon as possible, so I am announcing US$38 million to fast track the first ten schemes”.

As part of the 2012 Autumn Statement the government announced the creation of a Local Pinch Point Fund worth US$258 million to remove bottlenecks on the local highway network which are impeding growth. The fund reflects the government’s commitment to supporting economic growth by tackling barriers on the local highway network that may be restricting the movement of goods and people. The fund is aimed at those schemes that can be delivered quickly with immediate impact. The department’s funding contribution (in the form of capital) is only available in 2013 to 2014 and 2014 to 2015.

Of the ten schemes awarded just awarded funding, four are expected to commence in the next few weeks, with the others starting over the coming year.

Related Content

  • Transport integration separates rural idyll from remote isolation
    June 13, 2017
    David Crawford investigates the operation of Total Transport in some of Europe’s more rural areas. Total Transport is a concept that is gaining traction in Europe as a means of making it easier for people without access to a car and living in rural and remote communities, to travel to work, the shops, schools and hospitals. It involves maximising vehicle availability and integrating scheduled services with other transport services (including taxis) commissioned or contracted by more than one local governmen
  • London is Europe’s most congested city, says Inrix
    August 24, 2015
    The Inrix National Traffic Scorecard Annual Report 2014, which analyses and compares the status of traffic congestion in countries and major metropolitan areas worldwide, reveals that congestion levels rose in over half (53%) of European cities. As economies start to recover from the recession of 2007-2013 and employment levels begin to rise, congestion is increasing. Congestion in European cities decreased in the first and second quarters of 2014 when compared with the previous year, by four per cent pe
  • ITS investment on upward curve
    August 17, 2022
    More money is coming into the ITS sector – but where is it likely to go next? And what are the pros and cons of all this cash? Adam Hill talks to ITS veteran and corporate investment adviser Greg McKhann
  • London needs just one road user charge, says report
    July 8, 2019
    London’s patchwork of road charging schemes should be replaced by a single, distance-based user charge, according to new research. Apart from anything else, it would be much fairer… The UK capital’s multiple road charging schemes require a radical overhaul, according to a new report by the Centre for London thinktank. The suggested solution is to replace existing levies on drivers with a single, distance-based user charge which would more fairly reflect how much, and at what time, people are using London