Wakefield Council to spend £3 million improving roads and footpaths

Three million to be invested in highways.

This investment, combined with £5 million of funding from the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, will be allocated to improve and maintain highways across the district.

One of the council's biggest priorities this year is to create a safer highway for all road users with projects to improve walking and cycling routes.

This will sit alongside improvements to the public transport network in order to help tackle congestion and reduce the impact of transport on the climate.

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for planning and highways, said: “After announcing last year that we were to spend £15 million on our road network over the next five years, we have already seen a significant improvement over the last 12 months, particularly in the condition of our unclassified roads.

“Safety for all road uses is our main priority and a big part of our investment has been to focus on long-term repairs rather than repeatedly having to spend money on tackling potholes.

“This year, we also want to focus on other transport schemes which make our district a safer and more pleasant place to walk and cycle and we also want to encourage people to use public transport which in turn helps to tackle climate change.”

The council manages and maintains more than 1,500km of roads and 1,900km of footway, cycle lanes and tracks.

The road network laid end to end would stretch further than from Land’s End to John O’Groats, which is 1,400km.

Coun Morley added: “We all know that our roads suffer from chronic underfunding so it is vital that what we do invest creates good value for money.

“Our residents expect a good quality, reliable road network so we will continue to do the best we can with the limited resources we have available and invest as much as possible.”

Members of Wakefield Council’s cabinet will meet on March 3 at 10.30am at Wakefield Town Hall. The meeting can be watched live or later on the council’s website.