Yesterday (Thursday 25 April) Mark Harper joined Jill Mortimer to visit Hartlepool as an example of how the North East is benefiting from the reallocation of £8.3 billion after cancelling HS2.
Local authorities across Teesside have been given a share of £83 million to spend on improving roads and fixing potholes over the next decade, including resurfacing and fixing potholes.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, met with Jill Mortimer on Wilton Road.
Wilton Road, connecting Wilton Avenue and Clifton Avenue, has been completely resurfaced, and is an early example of the kind of improvements residents can expect to see across the constituency.
Hartlepool is also in line to receive further major enhancements after the Conservative government granted Tees Valley Combined Authority a further £1 billion towards transport projects.
The planned projects include £50million for proposed improvements to the A689 dual carriageway and £25 million for the Elwick bypass.
Speaking after the visit, Jill Mortimer said:
“It was fantastic to welcome Secretary of State Mark Harper to Hartlepool, where we saw a direct example of how the reallocated funding is improving to local journeys.
“The Conservative government is investing a huge amount of funding into road improvements across the North East, making journeys smoother, safer and quicker for Hartlepool’s residents.
“Wilton Road has now completed it’s road resurfacing and as the programme continues we’ll be able to target roads which need the improvements now, and some proactively for longer term protection against potholes.
“It’s also great news that we’ve got this extra billion pounds across Hartlepool and the Tees Valley for further projects which will improve our transport by creating solutions to issues like traffic and unpredictable journey times.”