By Marino Donati | 14 November 2014
George Osborne has embarked on a tour of the country to find out what areas could benefit from additional funding for road improvements in next month’s Autumn Statement.
The chancellor said he wanted to hear directly from local businesses on what more the government can do, and which areas need to be prioritised, following its commitment to invest £15bn in roads from now until 2020.
Osborne started his tour yesterday in Wincanton logistics depot outside Yeovil to hear how the plan could help relieve congestion for local businesses along the A303.
Local business leaders have campaigned for 20 years for measures to relieve congestion on the A303, which is the most direct route from London to the Southwest. They say cutting delays is vital for the West Country’s jobs and tourism.
The government has commissioned a feasibility study on proposals to improve the situation.
Osborne said improvements to the A303 would support the whole of the Southwest, which for too long has seen its infrastructure needs ignored.
‘Work on the A303 would make it more reliable for businesses and safer for drivers, and I will be looking carefully at what we can do in the weeks ahead to support the region.’
He also visited Postwick Junction near Norwich to see road improvements on the A47 and to consider the case for prioritising further investment there.
The improvements at Postwick Junction are a third of the way through after the government gave the go-ahead for the £24.4m road junction in January.
The project will help connect two adjacent business parks, creating over 5,000 new jobs and allowing 600 new homes to be built. The project is also linked to the proposed Norwich Northern Distributor Road bypass.
‘As investment in infrastructure is central to the government’s long-term economic plan, it is clear that further investment in the A47 is essential for growing the local economy of Norfolk. In the run up to the Autumn Statement, I will be carefully examining what more the government can do to invest in improvements for the East of England.’
