Some of the most deadly roads in Lancashire and Bolton are to share almost £40 million in road safety improvement cash.
Improvements to safety will be implemented on 17 of the deadliest roads in England, including four in the North West, according to the Department for Transport.
Council projects have been given a total of £38.3 million; over the next 20 years, it is hoped that these improvements will save 385 lives.
New roundabouts and junctions, better bike lanes and pedestrian crossings, and more legible signs and road markings are all part of the project’s design.
This is a portion of the Safer Roads Fund, which has already committed £147.5 million to improve the safety of 38 high-risk roads.
Funding will be provided for Lancashire’s portion of the A6, which passes through Chorley, Clayton-Le-Woods, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Garstang, Forton, Lancaster, and Morecambe before entering Cumbria.
Investment in safety is also planned for the A583, which travels by Kirkham on its route from Preston to Blackpool.
For the A6 project, Lancashire County Council will receive £4.54 million, and for the A583, just under £1.5 million.
Cash will also be given to the A579 in Bolton, which runs between Breightmet and the M6 Junction 22, and the A676 in Bolton, which runs between Ramsbottom and Bolton.
For the A579 projects, Bolton Council will receive £1.425 million, and for the A676 enhancements, £1.025 million.
The government has not disclosed which precise traffic calming or safety measures would be implemented on each road, nor which sections of each road will get investment.
“Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world,” stated Transport Secretary Mark Harper, “but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe.”
“We’re providing an extra £38 million so that local councils in England have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while reducing congestion and helping to grow the economy,” the government said in reference to its plan to upgrade roads throughout the nation.
The Safer Roads Fund is a game-changing effort for road safety and the local authorities who receive funding, according to Dr. Suzy Charman, executive director of the nonprofit Road Safety Foundation.
“It enables road safety teams throughout the nation to proactively address the risk of serious injury and death for all users of these routes.”
The RAC Foundation’s head of motoring research, Steve Gooding, stated: “With today’s announcement, users will benefit from an additional 120 miles of safer road enhancements.
“Making such small steps forward is essential to realising our shared goal of a safer road network overall.”
Additionally, safety improvements are being made to the highways in the following other English regions: Northamptonshire (A6), East Sussex (A2101), Essex (A113), Doncaster (A19), Bristol (A432), Devon (A361), Durham (A690), Nottingham (A60 and A6200), Oxfordshire (A420), Shropshire (A5191), and Solihull (A41).
