CYCLE routes in Warwickshire have been boosted by new government funding.
A section of the Lias Line between Leamington and Rugby will be extended after it was awarded £2.65million from Active Travel England.
A 2.5-mile stretch of off-road greenway between the Fosse Way and Long Itchington – which opened to walkers, cyclists and horse riders last July – will be extended towards Birdingbury.
A further £150,000 was awarded for design work on the western section of the Lias Line between the Fosse Way and Leamington. This will include design work to upgrade the Offchurch Greenway and the preparation of designs for improved connections to Radford Semele and Leamington town centre.
And more than £960,000 was awarded towards the first two sections of the K2L Kenilworth to Leamington Cycle Route.
The funding will pay for enhancements to Section 1a – linking Leamington town centre to the A452 Kenilworth Road – construction of which began in January and will be completed later in the year.
The funding will also contribute to the delivery of Section 1b which will extend the route to Blackdown roundabout. Warwickshire County Council is also continuing to work on the design of the remainder of the route north of Blackdown.
Warwickshire County Council’s transport spokesman Coun Jan Matecki said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this funding towards the cost of delivering these key inter-urban strategic active travel schemes in Warwickshire.
“We have ambitious plans to extend the reach and quality of our cycling network so that cycling can be the go-to travel choice, particularly for short urban journeys, and this is perfectly complimented by this huge funding boost.”
Work on the 23-mile Lias Line route, which follows the branch line of the old railway from which it takes its name, has been led by walking, wheeling and cycling charity Sustrans as part of a national programme to enhance the National Cycle Network.
Sustrans’ Senior Technical Network Development Manager Edward Healey said: “The additional funding for active travel in Warwickshire is very exciting, especially for the Lias Line.
“Over the last few years, we’ve already transformed 2.5 miles of disused railway into Warwickshire’s longest greenway as part of our Paths for Everyone programme. So, we welcome any additional investment to complete the next section of this off-road greenway route between Leamington Spa and Rugby.
“And we’re looking forward to working closely with our partners to improve the National Cycle Network in Warwickshire for the benefit of local people.”
A future phase of the programme will connect a 120-metre gap between the new 2.5-mile greenway and Offchurch Greenway, once HS2 completes a bridge over the Fosse Way in 2024.
The final phase will follow the branch line route south to the Stockton reservoir.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/2p9a5b6x for more information about the Lias Line and Sustrans.
Visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/warwickshire-safe-active-travel for more information on active travel in Warwickshire.
