The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, is today visiting the East Riding to mark the completion of highway works on the A164 and speak to users of the council’s Wheels to Work Scheme, in Goole, which was funded by the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF).
The £10 million A164 Humber Bridge to Beverley Route Improvement Scheme, to which the council contributed £2.3 million, began in spring 2012 and was designed to reduce congestion, particularly at peak intervals, and improve traffic flows for up to 35,000 vehicles using the road each day.
As well as the installation of a section of dual carriageway, between Willerby and Castle Hill, the council’s contractor, Jackson Civil Engineering, also reconfigured four roundabouts and constructed lengths of new footpath/cycleway.
To commemorate the occasion, Mr McLoughlin, Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and Adam Tuke, contracts director for Jackson Civil Engineering, will be planting a tree at the site.
In the afternoon, the Transport Secretary will be visiting Goole to view one of the schemes being funded by the £1.8 million the council successfully secured from the LSTF for the ‘Get Moving Goole’ project.
‘Get Moving Goole’ will reduce localised congestion, facilitate economic growth and reduce carbon emissions in the town, thus enhancing its prosperity and growth potential. The project comprises a package of measures, including travel plans, cycling infrastructure improvements and promotional initiatives, and personalised travel planning.
The funding has already been utilised to provide a new morning and evening town centre bus service, new off-road cycle lanes between Old Goole and Capitol Park and Goole and Hook, a real-time bus information screen, a new staff cycle parking compound at the hospital, sheltered cycle parking and a new footpath at the leisure centre, and improvements to the town’s subways to improve access to the railway station and the town centre. Work on the subways is expected to be completed in the summer.
LSTF funding is also being used to expand the council’s Wheels to Work Scheme into Goole, employing two new staff members and purchasing 15 new mopeds. The scheme provides mopeds for people living in rural areas, with limited transport options, to access education, training or employment.
Mr McLoughlin said: “Good transport links are crucial for getting to work, transporting goods and visiting friends and family.
“That is why we have given almost £8 million towards the vital A164 scheme which will relieve congestion on one of the East Riding’s busiest routes. In addition, the £1.8 million we are investing in transport to help improve access to employment opportunities in Goole will make a real difference to people looking for work in the area.
“Taken together these programmes show the Government’s commitment to improving people’s lives and giving our regional economies a real boost by making sure the infrastructure is there to help them deliver growth.”
Councillor Parnaby said: “The council has been very successful in securing Government funding to support investments in the East Riding’s transport infrastructure and will continue to seek funding wherever possible.
“Schemes, such as the A164 improvements, provide not only a timely boost for the local economy but also long term benefits for motorists and the travelling public, with reduced congestion and improved traffic flows.
“The LSTF money secured by the council is also making a real difference to people’s lives, in Goole, by helping them access employment, training and higher education opportunities.”
Adam Tuke of Jackson said: “Weather conditions were a real challenge throughout construction, but we are really proud to have delivered this scheme on behalf of East Riding, and we look forward to working with them again to deliver future projects.”
Work is due to start on a further DfT-funded scheme, the Beverley Integrated Transport Plan, in July, which will include the long-awaited and much-needed Beverley Southern Relief Road, and is anticipated to be complete by early 2015.