£45m investment agreed to improve roads and pavements across Tameside

Tameside Council has approved a £45 million investment over five years to improve and protect the borough’s roads, pavements and other essential highway infrastructure.

This will mainly be used for proactive maintenance and improvement works, helping to reduce the need for emergency repairs such as potholes and making more efficient use of public money.

Under the plan, the council will focus on maintaining and improving:

• Roads and pavements
• Bridges and retaining walls
• Highway drainage, including gullies and culverts
• Street lighting

Tameside’s highway network includes 707km of roads, 1,53km of footways, almost 49,000 highway gullies and more than 25,600 streetlights, making it the council’s most valuable asset.

In recent years, worsening road conditions have increased the need for reactive repairs, with pothole repairs in Tameside rising by more than 15 percent since 2021.

By investing in maintenance, the council aims to reduce future disruption, improve safety and extend the life of local highways. Modelling has shown that this £45m investment could help avoid around £130m in future repair costs over the next ten years, by dealing with problems earlier.

The plan also supports walking, cycling and public transport by improving the condition of the network, while providing greater transparency about how funding decisions are made.

Cllr Laura Boyle, Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Services and Neighbourhoods, said: “Our roads, pavements and street lighting are used by residents every day and keeping them safe and reliable is a key priority for the council.

“This investment allows us to move away from short‑term fixes and focus on long‑term improvements that reduce disruption, make better use of limited resources and protect the network for the future.  These works will also benefit local people by supporting jobs and businesses, creating training and apprenticeship opportunities and investing back into our communities.”

Work programmes will be developed using condition data and local knowledge, with a focus on coordinating works where possible to minimise disruption to communities.