Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to reduce traffic congestion in Berkshire.

On 29 January the Government announced a £10.2m expansion of the Growth Deal with the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). We understand the LEP intends to use around £7.5m of that additional funding for 4 new local transport schemes, taking the total funding for local transport improvements as part of the Growth Deal to over £100m, supporting delivery of 20 transport projects across Berkshire.

This funding is in addition to £36.9m integrated transport block funding for the six Berkshire local authorities covering the period 2015/16 to 2020/21, and £2.1m local pinch point funding for the Stafferton Way Link Road in Maidenhead.

The Government launched the Roads Investment Strategy on 1 December 2014. The M4 Junctions 3-12 smart motorway project to upgrade the M4 from east of Heathrow to west of Reading continues to be progressed. The Highways Agency intends to submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the scheme at the end of March. Subject to consent and the final business case, construction could start in late 2016.

The Highways Agency is due to complete the £2.5 million pinch point scheme to relieve traffic congestion at the M4/A329 (M) junction in June, and will deliver a scheme to improve the operation of the A404 Bisham roundabout in 2015/16.

The Government is also investing heavily in improvement of the rail network in Berkshire, including the Crossrail, Great Western electrification and Waterloo-Windsor lines train lengthening projects, which may have the impact of relieving traffic congestion in the county by offering improved alternatives to travel by car.