£127m secured for new Ravenscraig transport links

Investment of £61.9 million for the Ravenscraig Infrastructure Access (RIA) project has been approved by the Glasgow City Region Cabinet.North Lanarkshire Council is matching this with £65.3m over six years to create new and improved transport infrastructure connecting Ravenscraig north to the M8 and south to Motherwell and the M74. A total of £127.2m is therefore being invested.The project will deliver a new roundabout with traffic signals at Airbles Road and Windmillhill Street, connecting to the dual carriageway; completion of the dualling of Airbles Road; and the dualling of the A723 from Ravenscraig to the M8.The RIA is a key component part of the council’s Plan Lanarkshire Orbital Route, combined with investment currently underway at Motherwell Town Centre Interchange and the future East Airdrie Link Road, to create a transformational road and infrastructure travel spine through North Lanarkshire.The Pan Lanarkshire Orbital Route will improve connectivity from Motherwell to Cumbernauld across a range of transport modes and support better movement between towns and communities. It will create an active travel highway for cyclists, runners and walkers to navigate safely across the area. These plans will impact positively on the environment and road safety locally, removing traffic congestion points in neighbouring communities, such as the A73 at Chapelhall, and helping to improve air quality.Within the Ravenscraig site itself, the RIA is one of a number of infrastructure projects the council is working to deliver, including a new seven hectare park which is currently under construction and, working with Sustrans, plans for new cycling and walking links to Craigneuk, Wishaw and New College Lanarkshire Motherwell campus.The regeneration of the overall Ravenscraig site is a key element of the council’s vision for the area, which will see £3.5 billion invested over the next 10 years, creating around 12,000 jobs and generating an additional £1bn for the local economy.The next stage in the RIA project will be submission of a planning application for the southern connections to Motherwell and the M74, which will include a public consultation.The first construction works on site will create the west coast main line crossing, anticipated to take place in 2022, with construction of the new road to Ravenscraig and roundabout starting in 2023. Dualling of the A723 is planned to begin in 2023/24 and the work on Airbles Road in 2024/25.