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

  • US adopts automated enforcement… gradually
    March 4, 2014
    The US automated enforcement market is in rude health as the number of systems and applications continues to grow and broaden. Jason Barnes reports. Blessed and cursed – arguably, in equal measure – with a constitution which stresses the right to self-expression and determination, the US has had a harder journey than most to the more widespread use of automated traffic enforcement systems. In some cases, opposition to the concept has been extreme – including the murder of a roadside civil enforcement offici
  • TfL appoints electric vehicle charge point operators
    April 27, 2017
    Transport for London (TfL) has appointed the Centrica Consortium, BluepointLondon, Chargemaster, Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Fastned to provide the rapid charging points that the capital needs for electric vehicles. They will fund, maintain, operate and install the network. The first charge points are expected to be operational within a few months and will power vehicles in close to 30 minutes, compared with the three to four hours when using a standard unit. The initial aim is to see 75 charging poi
  • UK government publishes long-term plan to increase cycling and walking
    April 24, 2017
    The UK government has published its US$1.5 billion (£1.2 billion) long-term plan to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys. The government wants cycling and walking to become the norm by 2040 and will target funding at innovative ways to encourage people onto a bike or to use their own two feet for shorter journeys. Plans include specific objectives to double cycling, reduce cycling accidents and increase the proportion of five to 10 year-olds walking to school to 55 per cent by 20
  • Public transit is weapon in US congestion war
    December 3, 2018
    Public transit is a huge component of US transportation, insists Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Strategic Partnerships – and infrastructure upgrades have the potential to create thousands of jobs When it comes to public transportation, the US lags far behind other countries. Governments in Europe, Asia and Canada invest heavily in public transportation because it is viewed as an essential public good. The US government, however, views public transit a little differently and funding has been inadequate for d