Cumbria road improvements approved

More than £1 million will be spent on highways improvements across Cumbria.

Cumbria County Council has made the cash available for maintenance and repairs to roads and bridges.

A further £300,000 will be spent on road safety measures at 23 high-risk locations.

Measures such as clearer signs and lines, lighting improvements, anti-skid surfacing and verge work will all be introduced.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron told the Westmorland Gazette: “The roads announced for funding today are just a few of many in a poor state – we need to make sure a lot more roads are fixed and potholes are mended throughout the county.”

The county council agreed a £30m Highways Transport Capital Programme for 2013/14 in February and this work links in with that.

£670,000 will be spent on road surfacing schemes on A roads and £382,000 on six bridge/structure repair projects.

Coun Keith Little, the council’s cabinet member responsible for highways and transport, said: “The county council is investing in Cumbria’s highways to make them safer and more robust. Most of our highways investment was agreed in February as part of the main budget process, but today’s decision confirms exactly how over £1.3m will be spent from now until April 2014.

“We have prioritised the work so that the investment is being made in locations which have the greatest need and will reap the greatest benefits.”