MONEY meant for HS2 will now be used to repair roads in and around Northwich and Winsford.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) has been allocated more than £2.5 million from the Department for Transport's Network North (HS2) grant, split across this and the next financial year.

The council will receive £1.262 million of additional funding for the current financial year, with the same amount coming for 2024/25.

Now CWAC has released details of further highways maintenance schemes, in addition to the existing maintenance schedule, enabled by this funding.

The extra projects include works in Hartford, Weaverham, Comberbach, Norley, Byley, Winsford, Anderton with Marbury, Davenham, and Cuddington, among others.

Which roads will be repaired

In the current financial year, the following roads in and around Northwich and Winsford will see works take place:

  • Chester Road, Kelsall (carriageway surfacing)
  • Norley Road, Norley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Norley Lane, Norley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Forest Road, Tarporley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Beach Road, Hartford (carriageway surfacing)
  • The Crescent, Hartford (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • Ball Lane, Kingsley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Beech Road, Northwich (carriageway surfacing)
  • Manora Road, Northwich (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • Carlton Road, Northwich (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • Nixon Drive, Winsford (carriageway surfacing)
  • Yatehouse Road, Byley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Marbury Road, Comberbach (carriageway surfacing)
  • Patmos Lane, Nether Peover (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • Cape Lane, Nether Peover (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • New Road, Anderton with Marbury (carriageway enhanced patching)
  • Marbury Road, Anderton with Marbury (carriageway enhanced patching)

These works will take place in the 2024/25 financial year:

  • Dunham Road, Northwich (carriageway surfacing)
  • Beech Lane, Rushton (carriageway surfacing)
  • Shipbrook Road, Davenham (carriageway surfacing)
  • Mill Lane, Kingsley (carriageway surfacing)
  • Mere Lane, Cuddington (carriageway surfacing)
  • Onston Lane, Crowton (surface treatment)
  • Hodge Lane, Weaverham (surface treatment)
  • Road One, Winsford (surface treatment)

'Carriageway surfacing' is the full replacement of the surface course of a road with a new layer of asphalt. 

'Enhanced patching' is the targeted replacement of surface course material on sites with only localised failure of the carriageway.

'Surface treatment' involves overlaying a protective thin layer on a road to seal and protect an otherwise structurally sound area of carriageway – often there will be limited patching works to bring an area to a condition where surface treatments can be utilised.

What the council said

Cllr Karen Shore, CWAC deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, transport and highways, said: “Unfortunately, this time of year is always busy due to the formation of potholes due to wet and cold weather impacting any road surface, whether relatively new or old. 

"We’re doing all we can to ensure as much of the road network is repaired and running as smoothly as possible this spring and have deployed extra teams to work specifically on pothole repairs.

"The next few months will be an incredibly busy time for our highways service. 

“These additional schemes will be completed on top of the existing works we had planned.

"By the end of March this additional funding has helped our teams resurface a total of 43,200 square metres of road carriageway in the borough."

The schemes to be funded through the additional grant, have been chosen in line with the council’s asset management policy, strategically managing the life cycle of road surfaces.