The non-national roads network, including county roads, has benefited from unprecedented and systematic attention in recent years. A national pavement condition survey has been carried out to assess the scale and incidence of non-national roads needs in county areas. Greater efficiency is being brought to local authority road work operations.
Significantly increased financing is also being made available to improve non-national roads. Some £237 million has been allocated from the local government fund for non-national roads in 1999, an increase of over £37 million or nearly 19 per cent on the 1998 allocation and £59 million or 33 per cent on the 1997 figure. The 1999 allocation includes £138 million for the restoration programme, an increase of over £20 million on last year's restoration programme allocation and £45 million on the 1997 programme.
At the end of 1998, some 24,000 kms of non-national road had been improved/maintained under the restoration programme since its inception in 1995. This represents almost 28 per cent of the entire network of regional and local roads in county council areas. A further 10,500 kms will be improved/maintained in 1999. This clearly demonstrates the rapid progress being made and the Government's continuing commitment to the non-national roads programme.