Work to improve the county’s roads is accelerating at pace with an extra £58.75 million to be invested across Nottinghamshire as part of a record-breaking funding package.
Nottinghamshire County Council has announced details of phase two of its wide-ranging highways capital programme to fix its highways network – taking its investment for the next 12 months to an eye-catching £181.25m.
The latest funding boost comes less than a month after the council revealed it is to channel £122.5m into improving Nottinghamshire’s roads, which includes delivering a six-point plan to ensure the longevity of the county’s highways for years to come.
The council says it is the largest investment ever made in Nottinghamshire’s highways in a single year and is believed to be the highest by a local authority in the country.
Council Leader, Councillor Mick Barton, said it would not only help to bring Nottinghamshire’s roads up to the standard residents expect, but also unlock significant economic development opportunities in the county.
He said: “This record-breaking investment is unprecedented and no other council in the country has set aside such levels of funding to improve its roads.
“This is due to the efforts of colleagues and officers here at Nottinghamshire County Council, who have worked tirelessly to put together an investment package using funding from within our own reserves and EMCCA (East Midlands Combined County Authority).
“I said we would bring in the money to ensure we have roads we will be proud to drive on, and that hard work is certainly paying off.
“However, this is only the start. We will carry on knocking on the doors of those in Government to make sure we can secure sustained long-term funding for our highways network, which is set out in our six-point plan.
“There is no doubt that these improvements are long-awaited for the people of Nottinghamshire and having better roads will also go a long way to boosting the local economy and bringing fresh investment and employment opportunities to our county.”
The latest investment will also include work to deliver road safety and active travel programmes as well as upgrade pedestrian crossings and traffic signals across Nottinghamshire.
It also follows an announcement by the council in February to spend £2m on a programme of emergency repairs at urgent hotspots countywide, while phase one of the highways capital programme kicked off last week with the introduction of eight additional teams to carry out first-time permanent repairs.
In the coming weeks, the council will also be using two new JCB Pothole Pro machines as part of the ongoing drive to fix Nottinghamshire’s roads.
Cllr Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport for and Environment, said: “No other council in the country will be investing the amount of money in highways that we will be this year, which is an exceptional achievement and is testament to the hard work of everyone involved.
“However, our aim is to get to a position where we can maintain our roads continuously, unlike in previous years when there has been under investment leaving the network in a poor condition and with a huge backlog of repairs.
“We know roads are a number one priority for our residents and we believe this record level of investment will make a significant difference. However, I want to emphasise that we will continue to lobby Government Ministers to secure the long-term funding needed to keep our roads in a condition the public needs.
“We’ll be announcing more good news throughout the year as our plan unfolds, so watch this space.”
