More than £8m of funding has been allocated to spend on St Helens’ highways network.

The money consists of various pots of funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the Department of Transport.

The investment, which totals £8,865,000, will go towards supporting St Helens Council in the economic recovery from COVID-19, and will enable maintenance and improvement to the highway infrastructure.

This will include the delivery of sustainable transport measures such as walking and cycling.

The funds will tackle potholes and resurfacing problems – and build on the success of the council’s major projects such as the Better Lighting in Sustainable Streets (BLISS) scheme that improves the energy efficiency of street lighting; and junction improvement schemes like Windle Island and Pewfall Junction in Haydock to improve safety for all road users.

The next few months will see improvements coming forward for the Lea Green area by linking the train station with dedicated pedestrian and cycling routes to St Helens town centre and nearby residential, leisure and employment areas.

Welcoming the funding, Cllr Andy Bowden, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Residents and businesses of our borough want to see improvements made to our road network, which is why we are committed to creating a well-connected, safe and accessible transport and digital networks across the borough, whether you drive, cycle or walk.”

He added: “We need to make sure our road network is maintained to a high standard, not just for today’s world, but tomorrow’s too. That’s why we’ve invested and will continue to invest in significant improvements which fall in line with our priorities of creating safe and strong communities for residents; supporting a strong, diverse and well-connected local economy; and creating green, thriving and vibrant place to be proud of.