Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols recently visited the National Highways Regional Operations Centre as the government announces £27 billion of investment into England’s motorways and major A-roads.
The high-tech regional control centre is based just outside of Warrington in Newton-le-Willows and is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the motorways and major A-roads across the Northwest. Their roles include maintaining and improving the infrastructure of the roads, managing the flow of traffic by providing real time information and monitoring and managing safety initiatives and emergency areas.
The visit was an opportunity for Charlotte to raise constituents’ concerns about current transport infrastructure projects and how best to manage traffic in Warrington.
The visit included a short presentation to introduce the work that National Highways do and a tour of the control room where the Northwest network is monitored, electronic signs are set and incidents are responded to. Charlotte was also able to go on a drive out with the traffic officers to see the team’s work put into practice across the network.
This comes as the government’s recently announced its Road Investment Strategy will invest £27 billion over the next 5 years to upgrade the nation’s roads. The investment will allow National Highways to resurface over 9,000 kilometres of motorway and major A-roads, almost a quarter of the network. This is on top of the £7.3 billion that the government has already pledged to fix potholes and maintain local roads.
Here in Warrington, these plans will mean that there is major investment to upgrade the M6 motorway between junction 21A at the Croft Interchange and junction 26 at Wigan.
Amy Williams, National Highways’ regional director for the North West, said: “We were delighted to welcome Charlotte Nichols for a tour of our Regional Operations Centre – the hub of the region’s motorway network.
“We were able to demonstrate the often unseen work we do to keep businesses, commuters and other motorway users on the move around the clock, every day of the year.”
Charlotte Nichols, MP for Warrington North, said: “I had a fantastic time visiting the team at the National Highways Regional Operations Centre. It was great to see the work that they do, helping to keep our motorways and main roads safe and running smoothly. Their work is particularly important in Warrington, as we are in close proximity to several motorways including the M6 and M62.
“I am proud that the government’s Road Investment Strategy will invest £27 billion into England’s motorways and major A-roads over the next 5 years in one of the largest ever road investment plans.
“After years of decline, these plans will fix the country’s ageing roads. By fixing potholes and replacing worn-out stretches of motorway we can help make journeys smoother for drivers, as well as kickstart economic growth by creating thousands of new jobs across the country.”
