LOCATIONS included in a multi-million pound project which will see scores of roads and footpaths receive improvements have been revealed.
A total of £15.4m will be spent on a host of schemes in 2021/22.
About £2m has already been spent up to the end of March on drainage improvements, resurfacing of the A634 Doncaster Road between Darfield and Goldthorpe, the construction of a pedestrian and cycling path between Ardsley and Darfield and traffic signal upgrades across the borough.
However, the full list of worst-first roads have now been revealed, which includes so-called ‘principal roads’ identified as A637 Huddersfield Road, A635 Wilthorpe Road, A629 Copster Lane, A629 Halifax Road, A61 Sheffield Road and A633 Rotherham Road where high levels of traffic are encountered.
Elsewhere, more than 100 other routes in Central, Darfield, Darton West, Darton East, Dearne North, Dearne South, Dodworth, Hoyland Milton, Kingstone, North East, Old Town, Penistone East, Penistone West, Rockingham, Royston, St Helen’s, Stairfoot, Wombwell and Worsbrough wards will also receive work following approval from ruling cabinet members.
Matt Gladstone, Barnsley Council’s executive director for place, said: “Our highways capital programme will help make our roads safer and more sustainable in the longer term and focus on keeping Barnsley moving for residents and visitors.
“The highway network is a hugely important and valuable asset, so we need to ensure adequate investment to maintain it, not least to support our work to attract new business to the borough.
“It continues the ongoing ‘prevention is better than the cure’ approach of improvements to the existing highway network, and measures to improve road safety, resolve delay issues, improve air quality and to encourage active and sustainable travel.
“This actively supports the council’s journey to achieve carbon net zero by 2040 by implementing schemes that reduce the carbon footprint and utilise recycling of materials, such as road planings and earthworks materials, and more sustainable surfacing treatments, such as retread and surface dressing.
“Also, the council will be completing the final phase of converting all street lighting to energy efficient LED lanterns with an annual energy saving of 1,200 tonnes of carbon per year.”
The highway network is the single most valuable asset the council owns with the cost to replace the entire asset estimated at £2.1bn including all carriageways, bridges and other highway structures, highway drainage, traffic signals, safety fencing, supporting earthworks, footways, cycle ways, street lighting, road signs, road markings and road studs.
Coun Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transportation, added: “This approval is key to ensuring that our highway infrastructure and assets can continue to be maintained, and improved, to the benefit of all residents, businesses and visitors to the borough.”
