11:09 am, May 15, 2020
The government has announced a further multi-billion pound investment to improve road quality and capitalise on the period of reduced traffic.
Already millions of pounds worth of upgrades have been made to the UK’s road network during the lockdown period, and this is set to continue over the coming months.
The £1.7bn Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund will also go towards repairing around 11 million potholes currently plaguing the UK’s road network.
The announcement yesterday also revealed that the government hasn’t taken its foot off the pedal when it comes to electric vehicles.
It has said it will ensure each motorway electric car charging point has at least six fast chargers with several planned to incorporate as many as 12 chargers by 2023. These points will also allow electric car owners to charge their cars easily using a debit or credit card.
This multi-billion pound investment package in road and rail has been put in place to help the economy as it recovers from the effect of the coronavirus.
It will also be used to repair bridges, improve road safety at key locations, install new priority bus lanes and implement new projects that will help keep air pollution at the lower levels seen during lockdown.
It follows on from an accelerated £175 million worth of work being carried out while roads are quieter.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘There has been a monumental effort in every corner of the country to slow the spread of the virus and protect our NHS. However, the battle is not over yet and we urge everyone to keep up the good work and only travel when they need to.
‘To help those who do have to use public transport or get out on the roads to do their jobs, we’ve been accelerating infrastructure upgrades to make sure that, as we gradually reopen our society, everyone can benefit from smoother and safer journeys with better connections for our future.’
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