West Mids transport given £46m boost
Four West Midlands transport schemes have been given the green light for government funding, winning investment worth more than £46m.
The projects were handed the public spending to forge ahead by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Worcester Transport Strategy, which proposes transport improvements in and around Worcester has been given a grant of £14.2m. Plans include updates to Foregate Street and Malvern Link stations.
Road improvements in Darlaston, Walsall, have been granted a £14.3m contribution. In total, a revamp involving the construction of new bridges over the canal and railway, junction improvements and modifications to existing roads to open up development areas are estimated to cost about £26m.
The Coventry-Nuneaton rail upgrade has also received a funding boost worth £9.8m, half of the total project cost. Formerly known as NUCKLE, the scheme involves enhancing the rail service and building two new stations on the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line.
Birmingham's Chester Road will also be widened after securing £8.3m from the DfT. A three-lane dual carriageway will be created, with bus priority and pedestrian improvements.
The schemes' funding allowances were named alongside 17 other successful UK road projects, investment for which totalled £854m. They are in addition to the 20 transport proposals that the government pledged to fund in last month's Autumn Statement.
Transport secretary Justine Greening said: "Transport infrastructure is central to growth, and I am announcing funding for a further 21 local major transport schemes. Along with the schemes announced last month we’ve supported investment of over £1.4bn that will strengthen local economies and improve local transport links for communities across the country.
"We are investing in schemes that will provide better access to jobs and services, reduce congestion and enable more goods to move more easily around our country. This will be £1.4bn invested in local communities to build the transport system we need to get the economy back on track."
