The Government’s recently announced Road Investment Strategy brought some pretty excellent news for Richmondshire and Hambleton: substantial and comprehensive investment in our roads. This plan to invest £15 billion is a great new way to increase capacity and improve the condition of roads across the country. Creating a better-connected country will support jobs and growth, while helping the businesses and motorists who rely on these roads day in, day out.
What is better is that the national plan also involves £1.5 billion for Yorkshire. In particular, the massive new investment in the A1 will be of enormous help to local residents - reducing congestion for commuters and making North Yorkshire more accessible to other surrounding areas.
More locally, I joined Councillor Gareth Dadds to take a look at some of the repair works going on in Northallerton, and he took some time to talk me through the County Council plans for fixing roads and filling pot holes across the county. A multi-million pound operation to ease pothole misery on North Yorkshire’s roads has seen 60km of roads repaired in just six months.
The programme, funded by the Department for Transport and North Yorkshire County Council, began in spring. Up to the end of September, in Hambleton, 60 schemes have led to more than 16,000 potholes being filled so far, while in Richmondshire almost 42,000 potholes have been filled in 36 schemes. Significant schemes completed to date include Standard Way in Northallerton.
Having an uncongested road network that is well maintained is important to all of us. I look forward to seeing this excellent work continue.