Included with the budget were a number of specific announcements for the North West including £300 million to improve transport links. These were:
- Giving the green light to HS3 between Leeds and Manchester with £60 million to develop plans to reduce journey times to around 30 minutes, and developing longer-term plans for improving links between the North’s other major cities
- Exploring options for a Trans-Pennine tunnel between Sheffield and Manchester with £75 million to develop its plans, as well as looking at options to enhance the A66, A69 and the north-west quadrant of the M60
- Delivering further improvements to roads, with £161million for Highways England, including the upgrade of the M62 to a four-lane smart motorway between junction 10-12 Warrington to Eccles and junction 20-25 Rochdale to Brighouse
- Improving the North’s major rail stations including £3.75 million to support the development of HS2 Growth Strategies for Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Leeds stations
- Accelerating the development of other critical road projects in the North, including Lofthouse and Simister Island junctions and delivering on the commitment to begin upgrades to the M56 at junctions 6-8 south of Manchester in this Parliament.
David Nuttall 
Promises Promises Promises! The so called Smart motorway has taken YEARS and standing traffic isn’t smart. P.S You still can’t get across Bury at peak times in less than half an hour.