• Funding set to be approved at next week’s Combined Authority meeting
• Brings total investment in City Region highways maintenance to over £500m
• Funding part of record £1.6bn Transport for City Region (TCR) settlement
• Major rail, bus and new rapid transit links also set for investment

A further £300m is set to be invested in upgrading roads and fixing potholes across the Liverpool City Region, bringing the total investment in highways maintenance to more than half a billion pounds.

The proposed £308m injection, drawn from the region’s historic £1.6bn Transport for City Region (TCR) settlement, will go before the Combined Authority for approval at its next meeting on Friday 17 July.

If agreed, money will be distributed across all six of the region’s boroughs – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral – significantly accelerating a programme of road repairs and upgrades, ensuring key transport corridors are made safer for buses, bikes and cars.

The cash injection would be on top of the more than £233m already allocated to highways upgrades in the region, taking the total investment in fixing and future-proofing local roads past £500m.

£21m of the funding is being dedicated to infrastructure improvements that will directly support highway safety initiatives, helping to realise the Liverpool City Region’s “Vision Zero” strategy which aims to eliminate all road traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Additionally, a further £30m is being allocated to upgrade bus stops and shelters, improve accessibility at bus and rail stations and create new wayfinding signage across the region’s transport network.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“People don’t judge their transport network by reading strategy documents – they judge it by the journey they make every day. They notice whether the bus turns up on time, whether the road is full of potholes, and whether it’s safe to walk or cycle.

“For too long, our region hasn’t had the investment needed to keep those everyday journeys running smoothly. Thanks to devolution, we’re changing that. We’ve secured record funding and, crucially, we can decide locally how it’s spent to tackle the issues that matter most to our communities.

“This investment will help us repair roads, improve safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, keeping people moving, while continuing to build the modern, integrated transport system our region needs. That’s what devolution is all about – giving local leaders the tools to get on with the job and deliver better outcomes for the people they serve.”

The highways funding represents a major pillar of the wider £1.6bn TCR settlement, which was secured to accelerate the journey toward an integrated transport network that makes travelling across the City Region and beyond easier, cleaner, more affordable and accessible.

TCR funding will also help deliver the region’s largest-ever investment in rail network development, including progressing plans for new stations at Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral and Daresbury in Halton.

There is also significant investment in the bus network as it’s brought back under public control – including in a fleet of new, greener state-of-the-art double-deckers and funding to roll out smart, tap-and-go ticketing across the entire transport network.

A further £100m is also being allocated to deliver a new rapid transit network, creating fast, modern links connecting Liverpool city centre to John Lennon Airport as well as both the Liverpool and Everton football stadiums.