Highways England is supporting local authority road improvement schemes in Hampshire and Leicestershire with nearly £20m from its dedicated Growth and Housing Fund.
One of the schemes – at Junction 9 on the M27 in Hampshire – will also receive cash from the £220m Congestion Relief Fund announced in last year’s Autumn Statement as well as £6.6m from the local authority.
Hampshire CC's plans for J9 of the M27 and Parkway South Roundabout, Whiteley
Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said: ‘All of these improvements and future upcoming announcements will ultimately ensure England’s major roads continue to make a valuable contribution to the prosperity of our country.’
The three new schemes, which cost a total of £45.5m, are:
- M27 junction 9 Whiteley Way, up to 3,500 homes and up to 250 jobs - £9.9m Growth and Housing Fund / £3m Highways England Congestion Relief Fund. This scheme is being delivered by Hampshire County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership under a grant funding agreement.
- Anstey Lane (A46 / A560) up to 2,378 homes and around 260 jobs - £5m Growth and Housing Fund / £2.8m private developers. This scheme will be delivered by Leicestershire CC and local enterprise partnerships.
- M1 junction 23, up to 4,000 homes and 5,600 jobs - £5m Growth and Housing Fund / £10m private funding / £3.2m local growth fund. This scheme will be delivered by Leicestershire CC and local enterprise partnerships.
Hampshire CC said its £19.6m scheme, to which it is contributing £6.6m, aims to radically improve Junction 9 of the M27 and Parkway South Roundabout, Whiteley.
Executive member for environment and transport Rob Humby said: ‘This is really exciting news for the people who live and work in Whiteley. Congestion at peak times in this area has been notoriously heavy for years, and with a further 3,500 new homes in the planning, it’s essential that improvements are made to increase capacity on the roads.’
The £100m Growth and Housing Fund was set up as part of the £15bn Road Investment Strategy 2015-2020 and provides cash towards road improvements that are needed for new developments providing homes and jobs.
Highways England said it has so far contributed over £60m to 16 improvements to unlock over 30,000 new homes and more than 40,000 jobs.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
