Telford & Wrekin Council awarded £6.1m for transport improvements
Residents across Telford & Wrekin could benefit from improved transport routes thanks to a successful funding bid by Telford & Wrekin Council.
The Department for Transport has announced that Telford & Wrekin Council has been awarded a substantial cash boost from a government programme aimed at supporting large sustainable transport projects costing up to £50m.
Telford & Wrekin Council is one of only 12 local authorities across the country to have won a share of £225m awarded to deliver major transport projects. An additional 15 smaller schemes will receive a total of £40 million.
Telford & Wrekin Council's bid centres around making the best use of existing infrastructure and encouraging more sustainable travel.
The proposals include making the Box Road two-way for traffic, with improvements to make moving around the centre of Telford easier for pedestrians and cyclists, in particular linking the existing shopping centre with the Southwater development area across Coach Central.
The funding would also support the Central Telford Area Action Plan (CTAAP), adopted by the Council in March 2011.
Today's funding announcement complements last year's decision by the Department for Transport to award the Council £3.5 million for walking and cycling improvements across the Borough.
Councillor Hilda Rhodes, Cabinet Member for Transport and Community Protection, said: “We are extremely pleased that we are to receive funding for the majority of our submission to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
"We now look forward to working closely with other partners to identify how the balance of funding can be achieved. This is an important piece of work as successful delivery of the project is vital for the future economic prosperity of the whole Borough.
"This was an extremely competitive process and demonstrates the quality of the bid that we submitted in December".
Councillor Charles Smith, cabinet member for Housing, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: "The transport needs and infrastructure for Telford town centre will change in the future to complement the £250m development of the Southwater area of the town centre.
"This will improve the traffic flows in the town centre and the bid we have put in for Department for Transport funding is in anticipation of those changes.
"I am delighted we have been successful. This funding is further recognition that Telford is a vibrant and prosperous town which is continually evolving.
The Local Sustainable Transport Fund is a new programme launched by central government earlier this year. It was established in support of the Local Transport White Paper Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon: Making Sustainable Local Transport Happen.
Nationally it will provide £600m over the period to 2014/15 for local highway authorities to deliver sustainable transport improvements in their areas, meeting the primary objectives of supporting economic growth and achieving carbon reduction.
