£18m boost for Telford roads

More than £18m is to be ploughed into improving potholed and damaged roads in Telford over the next three years, it was revealed this afternoon.

Telford & Wrekin Council chiefs have drawn up a list of the roads across the borough that will undergo resurfacing works in the next 12 months.

They say although the winter has been mild, they are still trying to catch up on damage to roads in the last three years.

More than £7.5million will be spent over the next year on improvements and a further £6.3m in 2013/14.

The council is putting up £4.5m of this and the Department for Transport has already indicated it will spend a further £4m in 2014/15. The council figure for that year is still to be decided.

The list of works to be carried out over the next 12 months includes resurfacing work at Purbeck Dale and Chiltern Gardens – two residential roads off Springhill Road, Dawley.

Councillor Shaun Davies, for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Although the winter we've just been through has been comparatively mild, like many local authorities we are still catching up on the damage done to our roads by the previous three years.

"This planned investment over the next three years will see us take significant strides towards improving the quality of the borough's roads and our year one programme covers both residential and principle roads and was developed in consultation with Town and Parish Councils."

Council bosses say the programme is being developed in consultation with ward members and parish and town councils, as part of Telford & Wrekin Council's partnership approach in keeping with being a co-operative council.

Additionally, the council has also been successful in securing £3.5m of direct investment from the government via the Department for Transport's Local Sustainable Transport programme.