By Vivienne Russell
27 October 2010
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has unveiled a £600m fund
for local authority transport projects.
However, the Department forTransport has said this money will not fund new schemes. The £600m will only be able to fund those projects already at pre-qualification stage or further advanced.
A total of 34 local schemes, including the Watford Junction
interchange and Coventry-Nuneaton rail upgrade, are at pre-qualification stage.
Further analysis to determine which of them can progress to the development
group will be completed by January 2011, the DfT said yesterday.
The 22 schemes already in the development group will also be subject to some further analysis before best and final bids are invited from the authorities concerned. These schemes include the Nottingham ring road, the Bexhill to Hastings link road and additional vehicles for the Sheffield Supertram. Final decisions are expected by the end of 2011.
A further seven local schemes have been approved on top of those confirmed by the chancellor in last week’s Spending Review. These include the construction of bypasses in Lancaster and Sefton, improved bus facilities and cycling routes in Ipswich, and a new bus station for Mansfield. Funding for these projects will be confirmed in January.
Hammond also gave the go-ahead to nine major road schemes, including
upgrades to stretches of the M1, M25 and M60 designed to alleviate congestion. These
also come on top of those Highways Agency projects announced in the Spending Review. All of
these schemes have been agreed as part of the DfT’s settlement with the
Treasury.
Hammond said: ‘This government sees transport as a key driver of growth nationally and in the regions.
‘Taken together, this investment will not only bring benefits in terms of reduced congestion, shorter journey times and more efficient public transport, but also provide a vital economic boost.
‘For every pound we spend on Highways Agency schemes, in average will get back £6 of benefits and in many cases there are even higher returns for local authority schemes.’
He said he would continue to argue for investment that benefits both the travelling public and the wider economy.
The government’s National Infrastructure Plan, launched by Prime Minister David Cameron on October 25, said capital investment would be targeted at transport and energy projects.
