Wolverhampton prepares to green light £50m transport investment plan

THE success of Wolverhampton’s transportation capital programme has delivered a multi-million pound boost to the city’s regeneration over the last three years, it has been claimed.
 
More than £55m of additional external funding has been secured and the funding has been used for a number of major schemes such as works on Birmingham New Road, Stafford Road, Bilston Urban Village and the city centre.
 
Following on from this, the city council said a three-year plan outlining a series of projects and programmes of works totalling £51.5m was being recommended for approval at Wolverhampton’s next Cabinet meeting.
 
Tim Johnson, Strategic Director of Place, said: “If we expect businesses to invest millions of pounds in Wolverhampton we must support them by providing a transport network that meets their needs.
 
“The additional transport funding we have brought in over the last three years has enabled us to make rapid progress with our regeneration plans for the city.”
 
Ross Cook, Service Director for City Environment, added: “The council’s model recognises the need to develop a ‘pipeline’ of future projects that can take advantage of funding opportunities as they arise and therefore initial works like traffic modelling, feasibility, site investigation, detailed design and public consultation will have already been completed.
 
“The approach the council has taken enables the programme to be flexible, dynamic and able to respond to changing circumstances.”
 
In the last three years additional funding has come through the Local Sustainable Travel Fund, the Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund, the Local Pinch Point Fund, Access to Growth Fund and the Managing Short Trips Programme.

The funding will begin in 2016/17 and run until 2019/20.