£35 MILLION TO TACKLE POTHOLES AND ROAD SAFETY

By timesecholife on in Latest News

£5 million to tackle backlog

A FUNDING pot of more than £35 million for Staffordshire’s roads will include £5 million to tackle a backlog of potholes.
The cash injection will fund pothole repairs, road safety improvements and boost cycling as a form of transport in order for people to travel safely across the county.
The proposals will help maintain the county’s 6,000km of roads and 4,500km of footpaths as well as giving families better access to cycle routes and train stations.
Mark Deaville, cabinet member for commercial, said: “Good roads are important for the council, for communities and for businesses, not just for getting from A to B safely, but for supporting economic growth and better access to jobs, education and learning.
“This year’s investment will help us keep on top of road maintenance, improve road safety in local communities by introducing speed limits, better signs and installation of pedestrian crossings, as well as promoting greener travel with more cycle routes to not only help people get to where they want to go, but do so in a way that is good for their health and good for the environment.
“Maintaining a road network the size of Staffordshire’s is always going to be a challenge and investing an extra £5m to tackle the historic backlog of lower risk potholes will help us get on the front foot and allow us to focus on getting the best from our roads for the budget available.”
Local changes will include a speed reduction to the A522/A52 between Cheadle and Werrington, in response to calls from community and a local councillor after accidents.
The funding comes from a range of sources including the county council, national grants, Growth Deal schemes and developer money.
The 2017/18 Highways and Transport Capital programme for 2017/18 was approved by the county council’s cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday 19th July.