An extra £25.6 million is being provided to help maintain and repair roads in North Yorkshire and stop potholes developing, taking local roads investment in the region to more than £150 million up to 2021.
The funding will ensure rural roads can benefit from resurfacing work over the next 5 years thanks to funding which is being given to North Yorkshire County Council to spend where it is needed most.
Providing extra targeted maintenance money allows government to deliver on its long-term economic plan for the north by improving vital road links that help people living in rural areas get around, boosting local businesses.
A further £1.6 million was announced in the Budget for North Yorkshire to repair over 30,000 potholes. This is in addition to a £24 million roads funding boost announced by Chancellor George Osborne yesterday (Wednesday 16 March).
In recognition of the impact of the winter storms on the region the county will also receive an extra £4.3 million flood recovery money from the Department for Transport – taking the total given to Yorkshire and the Humber by the government to more than £36 million.
Transport Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said:
We are determined to build a Northern Powerhouse and investing an extra £25.6 million in North Yorkshire’s roads will help cut delays and boost the local economy.
This funding will allow the council to carry out extra maintenance work and help prevent potholes from forming, keeping roads fit for the future.
The £24 million is being delivered under the Local Growth Fund – a £12 billion fund to support a variety of projects including transport schemes, new housing and improving education. North Yorkshire County Council successfully bid for the extra money to maintain roads in the area.
This funding is in addition to over £125 million of Department for Transport funding that North Yorkshire County Council will be receiving to help repair roads, fix potholes, maintain bridges and improve streetlights over the next 5 years up to 2021.
Roads linking surrounding villages to the towns of Catterick, Harrogate, Malton, Northallerton, Scarborough, Selby, Skipton, Thirsk are all set to benefit.