The UK government has pledged to invest around £345 million to improve local roads and support the new housing developments springing up around the country.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced that £101.3 million would be spent on a bypass in Middlewich, Cheshire and upgrades to the Worcester Southern Relief Road, in the Midlands, while an extra 76 projects nationwide have been awarded a combined total of £244 million.

According to the Department for Transport (DfT), the investment will improve access to public transport, open up roads for cyclists and address several traffic hotspots, as well as providing access to newly-built housing.

The upgrades include large investments, such as the £6.93 million extension to the Gosport to Fareham Bus Rapid Transit busway in Hampshire, and smaller upgrades, such as a £1.61 million scheme to introduce traffic lights at a junction of the A194 in Tyneside.

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Other notable improvements include improvements to the A66 in Darlington, which the government says will ‘unlock 2,600 houses and 4,300 jobs by improving travel connections’, and a £1.75 million investment in the redevelopment of Southend-on-Sea town centre.

Speaking as he announced the government’s plans, Grayling said: ‘This government is taking the big decisions for Britain’s future and investing a record £23 billion on our roads to increase capacity and improve journeys.

‘These schemes will provide much needed upgrades to essential local roads up and down the country, cutting congestion, improving safety and shortening journey times for drivers.

‘They will also help boost regional economic growth by unlocking jobs and supporting vital new housing development.’