It has been announced that Cumbria County Council will receive £18m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund which will be used to upgrade 30km of the county’s highway network.

The funding will see a comprehensive programme of improvements works on the A5086 between Cockermouth and Egremont, A595 south of Sellafield and A590 through Barrow-in-Furness. This will include resurfacing; drainage works and bridge repairs together with opportunities for innovation including carbon reduction measure and the use of recycled materials.

Cumbria depends heavily on the road network for day-to-day accessibility, and the routes are vital to link communities, jobs, and services across Cumbria. This maintenance work will make journey times more reliable and safer and reduce the occurrence of road closures along this key route due to highways defects.

These resilience and reliability improvements will support local communities and the economy; helping to better connect people to jobs, goods and services while also supporting inward investment capitalising on Cumbria’s natural, manufacturing, nuclear and energy expertise, and potential in this area. In so doing it will help to strengthen and diversify the local economy and help grow the visitor economy along our coastal routes.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: “The Government’s Levelling Up Fund is designed to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life, and these schemes will do just that. This work will provide a more resilient highway network, improving access to employment opportunities and services which are essential to help connect people with the places they need to get to.”