Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve road connectivity between Bradford and its wider region.

Andrew Jones

The Government is committed to improving transport links across the North and Bradford, as a key partner in the Leeds City Region, has access to the biggest Growth Deal allocation agreed in 2014 which will provide up to £781m for the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund through Local Growth Fund and Gain Share up to 2035. The fund will allow Bradford to access funding for the schemes they need to benefit the city and improve connectivity between Bradford and the rest of the North.

In addition to this local investment, the Road Investment Strategy will tackle delays for commuters on the strategic road network between Bradford, Leeds and Manchester. This includes improving the M62/M606 Chain Bar Interchange where congestion is a major issue, and the planned Smart Motorway scheme for junctions 20-25 of the M62 will increase capacity, reduce congestion and improve safety.

To support this work, the 2016 Budget announced a further £161 million to accelerate the transformation of the M62, as part of building the Northern Powerhouse.