Roads minister Jesse Norman has announced that a stretch of the A1231 road between Northern Spire bridge and Sunderland’s city centre will be upgraded to a dual carriageway thanks to more than £40.5m of government funding
Sunderland motorists will save more than 2 hours a year stuck in jams thanks to more than £40.5m of government funding.
The £70.2m road upgrade project is the third phase of improving journeys along the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor and will support regeneration of sites both sides of the river as well as 1,000 new homes.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman said: “The government is investing record amounts to improve travel in towns and cities across Britain.
“Sunderland is a great city with a great future. We hope the schemes we are funding will help to unleash its potential – creating jobs and enabling new homes – and turbocharge the Northern Powerhouse.”
The Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor will provide a high-quality dual carriageway link between the Nissan car manufacturing plant, Enterprise Zone, International Advanced Manufacturing Plant (IAMP) development and the city and Port of Sunderland.
Today (21 March), Highways England also began work on the £125m Testos roundabout scheme, improving links to the IAMP. Further up the A19, the Triple Decker Roundabout at the A1058 is nearing completion.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling last week announced £10m to improve cycleways and bus routes across the north-east, as part of the government’s Transforming Cities Fund. More than half of the funding will provide improvements for cyclists, including new route connections in Sunderland.
This is the first round of the £1.3bn fund for 12 cities across England to enhance commuter routes into business centres to unlock productivity and boost the economy.
