Earlier this week I sent a letter to Councillor Colin Hunt, Executive Member for Planning Transport and Strategic Environment at South Gloucestershire Council, asking him to start an application for central government funding to build a Winterbourne bypass.
In July, it was announced that for the first time central government money will be made available to fund road projects outside of the motorway network. I would like to take advantage of this by working with Cllr. Hunt and West of England Mayor Tim Bowles and lead the project to what will hopefully be a successful outcome.
Winterbourne would benefit from a bypass as the heavy traffic currently through the village is taking its toll on the roads and I have received numerous letters about the noise this traffic is causing. A bypass would alleviate these issues as well as improve travel times and keep road repair costs down by diverting vehicles with heavy loads out of the village.
A modern road network is key to unlocking the potential in our region after Brexit as we look to take advantage of world trade deals and have the ability to ship products from the manufacturers to ports and airfields as efficiently as possible. Winterbourne bypass is part of this and I look forward to the leading this project going forward.
Please find below a copy of my letter to Councillor Hunt:
Dear Cllr. Hunt,
The Government has recently announced that, as part of the Transport Investment Strategy, a ‘Major Road Network’ will be created, which will give councils access to a multi-billion pound road fund that will be funded by Vehicle Excess Duty.
This will be the first time councils will have had access to central government money to spend on roads outside the motorway network and will focus on local roads that have been adversely affected my heavy traffic flow.
In my opinion, I believe that a construction of a bypass at Winterbourne would be a perfect project for this new fund. There have already been several bypasses put in place locally and they have alleviated the issue of heavy traffic, especially from vehicles with abnormal loads which cause the most damage to minor roads.
I would like to work with you in your role as Executive Member for Planning Transport and Strategic Environment for South Gloucestershire Council and West of England Mayor Tim Bowles to steer this project through the application phase to hopefully a successful outcome.
If there is anything I can assist you with in my role as a Member of Parliament then please do not hesitate to contact me and please keep me updated with our application’s progress.
Yours sincerely
Jack Lopresti
Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke