Government boost for Northern Powerhouse: Sefton
Transport Secretary visits new Broom’s Cross Road in Sefton during visit to north of England.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin will visit Merseyside today, Tuesday 11 August 2015, to name the new A5758 Broom’s Cross Road and see how major transport improvements are helping to create a Northern Powerhouse.
He will travel along the new link, between Thornton and Switch Island, which will transform road journeys for communities north of Liverpool, relieving congestion on local roads and driving development in Southport, Netherton and the Port of Liverpool.
The Transport Secretary will also meet staff and apprentices involved in the construction project and will officially name the road, linking the A565 Southport Road and the M57/M58 Switch Island Junction.
The work is part of the government’s commitment to build a Northern Powerhouse that will help the north of England unleash its full power, and create a balanced, healthier economy. A blueprint of how £13 billion is transforming transport links across the north is today being published by the Department for Transport.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
This one nation government is determined to close the economic gap between north and south. Investing in transport – something that successive governments have failed to do sufficiently – is vital to making that happen.
We had a choice - building the infrastructure our country needs, or letting our transport system become a brake on growth and opportunity. We have chosen to invest for the future.
Across the north, that investment is already having a huge impact, with programmes – like the impressive new Broom’s Cross Road – to upgrade our railways and our roads. We are determined to keep the momentum going.
Backed by £14.5 million DfT funding, the road will also feature improved walking and cycling facilities and provide faster, more reliable public transport journeys.
Making transport better by improving the links that bind the north together is integral to the Northern Powerhouse. It will bring cities and regions closer together and strengthen connections - Liverpool to Hull, the north west to Yorkshire, the north east and the Midlands – making it easier for hard working people and businesses to access markets or deploy their skills.
Other transport improvements either planned or underway include:
- new electric train services have been running between Manchester, Liverpool and Wigan since earlier this year
- the opening of the refurbished station at Manchester Victoria this autumn, making the station safer, brighter and more spacious and a fitting gateway for the city
- a new southern entrance to Leeds station, to serve the expanding commercial area south of the River Aire
- new franchises that will see modern trains and additional capacity on TransPennine services between Leeds and Manchester and the removal of Pacer trains on Northern routes
- work to deliver faster trains and better services between Sheffield and London
- investment in the period up to 2020/21 in over 40 major road schemes ultimately worth £4.8 billion across Yorkshire, the north east and north west, with new schemes expected to create over 2,000 jobs
- in the longer-term, transforming city to city rail connectivity across the region, radically reducing travel times, through HS2 and TransNorth east-west rail links
Earlier in the day, the Secretary of State visited Farnworth Tunnel in Bolton, where tunnelling work is now underway to provide faster, better journeys and more space for passengers travelling between Manchester, Bolton and Preston.
The work is part of Network Rail’s £1 billion North of England programme to improve the region’s railways, allowing hundreds more trains to run and providing space for millions more passengers a year.
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