The investment will include walking, wheeling and cycling routes alongside improvements to roads and public transport infrastructure.
The authority has committed £53million for the current financial year, including £14.4million of its own budget and £38.6million in central government funding.
Finance includes a £7.75million transport grant, which will be used on a range of improvements, a £5.4million local bus grant and £5.5million additional funding for highways and maintenance.
‘This investment will deliver real improvements that people will see and feel in their daily lives – spending money where it will have the greatest impact,’ said Cllr Mark Goldsmith, Chair of Cheshire East Council’s Highways and Transport Committee.
‘Whether it’s smoother roads, better bus connections, or safer routes for walking and cycling,’ he continued. ‘We’re committed to making Cheshire East a better place to live, work, and travel through safer, greener, and more accessible transport options.’
Over the next 12 months, the council has pledged to:
*Complete a new 1.5mile walking and wheeling route between Wilmslow town centre and Handforth along the B5358 Manchester Road, separating traffic to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and introducing new junctions
*Complete schemes on key A-roads including the A530 Middlewich Road in Wistaston, the A534 Congleton Road (between M6 Junction 17 and the Arclid traffic lights), and the A500 Newcastle Road in Haslington
‘Our priority is to keep Cheshire East moving and help people to get from A to B – whatever form of transport they use. Clearly, despite the significant investment we will make this year, we still don’t have enough money to do everything we’d like to do,’ Cllr Goldsmith continued.
‘This is especially true for roads maintenance,’ he added.’We will continue to push the case for more and sustained government funding for our highways network and prioritise where we make investment – focusing on using the right treatment, in the right place at the right time.’
Image: Minh Tran / Unsplash
More on transport:
National Highways announces expansion to green bridge network
Edinburgh plugs in new ultra-rapid EV charging at Ocean Terminal