Greater Manchester awarded £3 million for road maintenance

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is to receive an additional £3 million to support road maintenance and repairs in the city-region.

Funding is part of £8.3 billion to local authorities across the country that has been redirected following the cancellation of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester. The funding will support the equivalent of resurfacing over 5,000 miles of roads across the country over the next decade until 2034.

The initial £3 million for Greater Manchester will support works up until 2025, and comes in addition to funds already agreed for road repairs and maintenance previously set out by the existing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs will be able to identify what local roads are most in need of repair to deliver improvements for communities.

Funding forms part of the government’s Network North programme of transport infrastructure investment being supported by savings made through the cancellation of the Northern leg of HS2.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

“Well-maintained road surfaces could save drivers up to £440 each in expensive vehicle repairs, helping motorists keep more of the cash in their pocket.

“This unprecedented £8.3 billion investment will pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions of people across the country and put an end to the blight of nuisance potholes.”

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said:

“Most people travel by road and potholes can cause misery for motorists, from expensive vehicle repairs to bumpy, slow and dangerous journeys. Our £8.3 billion boost to repair roads across the country shows that we’re on the side of drivers.

“Today’s biggest-ever funding uplift for local road improvements is a victory for all road users, who will enjoy smoother, faster and safer trips – as we use redirected HS2 funding to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future.”

Funding has been backed by motoring group, the RAC, which estimates that better maintained road surfaces could save drivers up to £440 each year in repair costs from pothole damage. RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said:

“We hope local authorities will use the money in the most effective way possible by resurfacing the very worst roads, keeping those in reasonable condition in better states for longer through surface dressing and filling potholes as permanently as possible wherever necessary.

“This should in time go a considerable way to bringing our roads back to a fit-for-purpose state and saving drivers hundreds of pounds in the process from not having to fork out for frustrating repairs to their vehicles.”