Major improvements planned for A61 through Chesterfield

Derbyshire County Council says it is set to spend £100 million over the next five years improving the county’s roads.

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The council has earmarked the cash to be spent on fixing potholes, resurfacing and surface dressing roads and pavements, repairing retaining walls, fixing drains, upgrading bridges and replacing worn-out traffic lights and lamp posts.

It includes £933,000 towards improving roads, cycle paths and access routes to new housing developments along the A61 between Sheepbridge and Wingerworth.

Next week (Thursday 18 April) councillors will be asked to approve the money – given to the council in the form of Government grants - to be spent between now and 2024.

Councillor Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said: “Keeping Derbyshire moving by making sure the county’s roads remain in a good and safe condition remains a top priority for us.

“Because of new systems we now also have the most comprehensive information about the current condition of our road-related infrastructure meaning we can look ahead and take a more planned approach to fixing and improving our highways.”

Next year the council is set to spend around £23m. This will go towards resurfacing and surface dressing stretches of some of the county’s main roads including the A515 around Buxton and Ashbourne, the A57 Snake Pass, the A6 around Bakewell, the A619 around Stavely and the A610 at Ripley.

Around 40 more minor ‘B’ roads and 30 pavements countywide are also earmarked to be resurfaced or surface dressed.

General repairs to bridges and improvements along sections of the Trans Pennine, Skegby and Five Pits Trails are also set to take place.

Junction improvements, improved signage and extra anti-skid surfaces, have also been identified to improve road safety at various locations around the county.

Part of the £23m - £2.7m – is also being set aside for four major road schemes. These include:

•£933,000 along the A61 between Sheepbridge and Wingerworth;

•£242,000 to work up further plans for the A515 Ashbourne Bypass;

•£550,000 to roll out electronic bus stop signs in Amber Valley and Erewash.