The purpose of the fund is to enable local highway authorities in England to bid for major maintenance projects that are otherwise difficult to fund through their normal allocations they receive from government. Local authorities are able to bid for projects that will carry out improvements to the quality of roads and surrounding infrastructure, including bridges and viaducts, to benefit the local economy and make driving safer.
The roads network is a vital lifeline which needs to be enhanced and maintained.
The government is committed to upgrading and renewing local road infrastructure so, through the challenge fund, it is encouraging local authorities to invest in these roads and make journeys safer. In 2019 to 2020 the funding available is £98 million, with each local highway authority eligible to submit one bid for up to £5 million of DfT funding for 2019 to 2020. Therefore based on current condition and risk and our own investigations, the Council has submitted a bid for piling replacement works and associated carriageway and footway replacement at Belton Way East due to the current investigations revealing a potential issue with the current piling system. Successful bidders will be notified by DfT by the end of December 2019.