CITY DEAL: Joining the queues of '˜short term pain for long term gain'

The ambitious 10-year masterplan has reached the third anniversary since its launch and leaders behind the vast City Deal scheme say they aware of the “short term pain for long term gain” nature of the road improvements.

Several key projects are underway - including the Broughton bypass which has been beset by delays - with several more reaching crucial stages of the planning process.

And over the next three years, more than £145m is expected to be poured into projects to improve infrastructure

The brains behind City Deal say the vital boosts to the city region’s road networks will help unlock the economic potential for the area in addition to easing congestion concerns.

And so residents have been asked to stick with the plans over the coming years with efforts made to mitigate the impact of the disruptive roadworks by completing the work in stages.

County Coun Keith Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport, told the Lancashire Post: “One of the most visible, and at times disruptive, parts of the City Deal is road building.

“During construction there can be road closures and delays to people’s journeys, but it’s important to also look at the bigger picture.

“We’re creating extra capacity on our road network, unlocking congestion hotspots and bottlenecks, in order to help everyone to get around.”

The City Deal working partnerships have enabled local authority leaders to secure funding for several road schemes that have been tabled for years, decades in some cases.

And leaders are emphasising that the road building will have both short and long term economic advantages with local contractors used during the construction process and the finished roads then boosting the area’s business prospects.

In addition to the long anticipated Broughton Bypass, the Penwortham bypass and Preston Western distributor are included in the over-arching plans.

Coun Iddon added: “Some of these schemes have been talked about for many years, but we’re now providing a real boost to people’s local areas by taking away the daily experience of pollution and congestion.

“As well as the new roads themselves, many of the schemes also include improvements to footpaths and cycle networks, providing people with different to get around.

“They are some of the biggest and most visible City Deal projects, and some of the biggest being delivered in Lancashire.

They aim to reduce long-standing congestion hotspots, help people to travel around for work and leisure, and make it easier for companies to do business.”