|
answer text |
<p>On 29 January the Government announced a £17.2m expansion of the Growth Deal with
the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership. We understand the LEP intends to use
around £1.85m of that additional funding to support transport interventions to support
growth. This is in addition to the £179.4m Local Growth Fund support that we allocated
to local transport improvements in last July’s Growth Deal with the LEP, supporting
delivery of 16 transport projects across Lancashire, including the Burnley to Pendle
Growth Corridor.</p><p> </p><p>This funding is in addition to £49.9m integrated transport
block allocated to the 3 Lancashire transport authorities (Blackpool, Blackburn with
Darwen and Lancashire County Council) since the 2010 Spending Review, together with
£98.6m for highways maintenance. In addition, we have announced a further £55.2m integrated
transport block funding and £136.8m highways maintenance funding for these authorities
covering the period 2015/16 to 2020/21. We have also given the go ahead to two local
major schemes in Lancashire, the Heysham Link Road and Pennine Reach, both of which
are under construction and have been supported by over £142 million of Government
funding. A further £5.7 million local pinch point funding is addressing local congestion
hotspots in Blackpool, Blackburn and on the A582 near Preston.</p><p> </p><p>The Government
launched the Roads Investment Strategy on 1 December 2014. It contains firm proposals
to deliver the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool Bypass, which will tackle congestion
on the main route to Fleetwood, as well as a new Junction 2 on the M55, to support
links between Lancashire’s Enterprise Zone sites at Samlesbury and Warton as well
as support future housing growth in Preston.</p><p> </p><p>The Highways Agency is
due to shortly complete over £14.3 million pinch point fund investment to relieve
traffic congestion at four hotspots in Lancashire on the A585 - Windy Harbour Junction
and Bourne Way to West Drive, M6 junction 32 and M55 junction 1, and M65 junction
5.</p><p> </p><p>The Government and Lancashire County Council are also investing heavily
in improvement of the rail network in Lancashire, including the electrification of
lines between Blackpool, Preston and Manchester, the re-opening of the Todmorden Curve,
a new station at Buckshaw Parkway and a commitment for the new franchises for Northern
and TransPennine Express to deliver new trains, more capacity and replace Pacers.</p><p>
</p><p> </p>
|
|