New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester

A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.

The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.

Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.

The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) conceded that damaged highways are a ‘common’ but ‘frustrating’ issue affecting drivers across the country, as well as being hazardous for people walking, cycling or wheeling.

Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.

The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:

• Bolton: £6,552,000
• Bury: £4,374,000
• Manchester: £8,155,000
• Oldham: £5,258,000
• Rochdale: £5,243,000
• Salford: £5,388,000
• Stockport: £6,820,000
• Tameside: £4,980,000
• Trafford: £4,992,000
• Wigan: £8,241,000

The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.

“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.

“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.

Read more:

• Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
• New survey finds Manchester has the lowest rate of fixed reported potholes in the UK
• ‘Wanksy’ – the Manchester street artist who turned potholes into penises

“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”

Featured Image – TfGM