Council secures £267m funding for programme of highways improvements
The Borough of Hounslow could be home to some of the best roads in the country, following an announcement that the council has successfully secured £267 million funding for a programme of highways improvements.
Hounslow is the only council in London - and one of just three nationwide - that will benefit from a £1.3bn PFI (Private Finance Initiative) programme to improve local roads.
As a result, the borough will benefit from an additional £19million a year which will be invested in upgrading and maintaining pavements, street lights, street cleansing, signs, street furniture, trees and drains.
Following the announcement, Cllr Peter Thompson, Leader of Hounslow council, said, “This is fantastic news for local people. We made a clear commitment to seek more investment to bring our local roads and pavements up to standard, and I am delighted that the council has been able to deliver.
“However, we won’t be sitting back and waiting for this work to start; we’ve already invested an extra £1.5 million into highways and landscaping improvement schemes across the borough this year, with plans to spend more next year.”
According to the Department of Transport, communities with better roads attract significant new investment, so the scheme could help boost the local economy.
The improvements are also expected to lead to safer and quicker journeys for local people and deliver a marked improvement in the whole street environment including footways, lighting, verges and trees.
Cllr Barbara Reid, the council’s Executive Member for Environment, added, “This isn’t just about tackling some long overdue road repairs; it’s also about making our streets cleaner, safer and greener. Once the work begins, everyone can look forward to seeing a big improvement in their local streets.”
As funding has been approved, the project will move to the procurement phase in early 2010, with work on the ground starting in early 2013.
November 30, 2009