Extra £170m for transport schemes

The government is pumping £170m into 29 transport projects that will support the development of new housing.

The projects, paid for from the Community Infrastructure Fund, include rapid bus routes, pedestrian and cycle bridges, and improvements to road junctions.

They will directly support 40,000 new homes to be built over the next decade.

Housing minister Margaret Beckett said: "We know that good transport links are vital to successful communities and these projects will unlock the potential for new housing where it is needed. By investing today in tomorrow's infrastructure we are helping to ensure the foundations are in place to support economic recovery, while also creating and safeguarding jobs right now."

The types of schemes include:

* New public transport facilities, such as the new South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit scheme;

* New road and junction improvements, such as the improvements to the Southgate area of Kings Lynn which will support the development of 900 new homes;

* Innovative transport solutions that will ensure smoother traffic flows and reduced congestion such as the A14 Ramp Metering scheme in Kettering and the Urban Traffic Management Scheme in Aylesbury; and

* Schemes to improve sustainability, such as the Wichestowe Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge which will provide a sustainable means for the new development at Wichelstowe to access the town centre in Swindon
Schemes allocated funding under the Community Infrastructure Fund