A MASSIVE Government injection of £458m into the North-East's ailing transport network was announced yesterday.

The announcement means the go-ahead for several long-awaited road projects, including a £9m upgrading of the A689 Sedgefield to Wynyard road and the £618,000 needed to complete the Skelton and Brotton bypass

Another £21m will be spent in North Yorkshire, part of a £670m five-year package for Yorkshire and Humberside.

The cash injection, part of a £8.4bn package to be spent on local transport schemes nationally, was announced by Environment Minister Michael Meacher in Gateshead yesterday.

Regional leaders immediately hailed the news, which means the North-East received the largest award per head of population, as a major boost for the regeneration of the North.

Mr Meacher told an audience of business and civic leaders: "The North-East has long been an excellent example of how public transport provisions can be user-friendly and well integrated.

"These regional plans show a good mix of road improvements, such as those in County Durham, Darlington and Sunderland, and new and exciting public transport schemes, such as those in Newcastle and Gateshead."

Other schemes included in the five-year plan include a £26m state-of-the-art bus link between the MetroCentre and Gateshead and Newcastle, plus Darlington's much-touted Eastern Transport Corridor scheme, which receives £5.7m, and the A167 Chilton Bypass, which gets £7.6m.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar welcomed the news that the Brotton Bypass is to be completed.

He said: "This will help all the final works on this road, which will open early next year and which will relieve heavy congestion in Brotton narrow high street.

"Better still is the news that cash for highway improvements, local road safety schemes and bus support measures in the Redcar and Cleveland area has been effectively doubled from £1.5m this year to £3.3m next year.

"It's an early Christmas present for the motorist, the bus user and the pedestrian."

Referring to County Durham's three major road schemes, Mr Meacher said: "For too long, road-based communications across the county from east-to-west have been difficult.

"The planned improvement to the duel carriageway of the A689 between Sedgefield and Wynyard will help to improve what is currently a substandard but strategic route.

"Equally important in economic development terms is the proposed A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn link which will provide an improved route from East Durham to a new rail freight development and the A1(M).

"This money should help the environment and improve road safety across the region.

"It will also improve public transport in places like Tyneside, which have lacked some of the major transport links set up in other cities."

The cash will also be used for up to 500 road safety schemes, to create about 340 kilometres of cycle paths and up to 14 new or extended park-and-ride schemes.

Safety measures will include 20mph zones at a number of sites across Middlesbrough and school travel schemes, including The Lakes Primary School in Redcar.

Tony Flynn, deputy chairman of the North-East Regional Assembly, said: "When I showed regional leaders the schemes, they all sat back quite staggered. There is something for everyone in this package."

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