A BUMPER £8.3billion will be diverted from cancelled HS2 to fixing up 5,000 miles of England’s blighted roads.
PM Rishi Sunak said the 11-year funding plan was “unprecedented”.
GettyA bumper £8.3billion will be diverted from cancelled HS2 to fixing up 5,000 miles of England’s blighted roads[/caption]
The AA said it has received more than 450,000 callouts to pothole-related breakdowns this year — nearly a record.
Of the cash, £3.3billion will go the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber, £2.2billion to the East and West Midlands, and £2.8billion in the East and South.
The Department for Transport said it is on top of £5.5billion announced for local roads maintenance from 2020-25.
Mr Sunak said: “Well-maintained road surfaces could save drivers up to £440 each in expensive repairs.
“This unprecedented investment will pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said drivers will see improvement straightaway.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued roads up to scratch has been put at £14billion.
The AA’s Edmund King said the new cash will make a “considerable difference”.