Extra funds for road maintenance

The Executive’s January monitoring round has released £20 million for road maintenance, including £3 million set aside for cycling projects, improving bus stations and constructing new crash barriers.

Welcoming the announcement, Transport Minister Danny Kennedy explained that the Roads Service maintains 25,900 km (16,100 miles) of public roads.

“This additional funding will target structural maintenance on the local road network to help address the significant backlog and reduce the actual resurfacing cycles,” he added. “It will also provide new drainage, some reconstruction and the resurfacing of around 160 kilometres of road.”

Kennedy concluded: “Carrying out road improvements sustains hundreds of jobs every year and ensures the travelling public enjoy safer and more enjoyable journeys.”

The Budget allows for an increase in road-related capital spending from £156 million to £379 million between 2011 and 2015. Roadworks take up three-quarters of the Department for Regional Development’s capital budget with the rest going to public transport and the water network.