Roads investment to create 9,500 jobs

Over 9,500 construction jobs will be supported in 2014 by more than £1.9 billion of investment in Britain’s roads, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill announced today.

RAC technical director David Bizley said: “The nation’s roads are intrinsically linked to the economy. The more that is done to improve the network, the easier it is for companies to do business and for motorists to get to work and spend money as consumers. The significance of our roads was made even more apparent earlier this year when second quarter traffic statistics showed a 4.9% increase in motorway traffic at the same time as GDP grew.

“The jobs that are being created to carry out these large-scale improvements are a massive benefit to the economy, but it is important to remember that while the strategic road network carries a third of all traffic, it only represents 2% of all roads. Investment in local roads is therefore vital as excellent main ‘road’ arteries will have far less effect if they feed clogged ‘local’ veins which are not fit to handle today’s traffic volumes. In fairness to the Government, they are looking to address many local pinch points, but we hope this is extensive enough to make a real difference to day-to-day journeys.”