Following the 2007 summer floods this Department allocated £41 million funding to 10 local authorities to assist them to repair damage to their local highways caused by flooding. In 2009 this Department allocated £2.6 million to Northumberland to assist them repair damage to their highways caused by flooding.
This Department is currently working with Cumbria county council to assist them to identify the full damage to their highways network caused by flooding in November. To date, the authority have been allocated £4.6 million to cover the costs of establishing a temporary road bridge in Workington over the River Derwent to replace those damaged or destroyed. In addition the Army erected a temporary footbridge also over the River Derwent in Workington at a cost to the Government of £1 million.
This Department has agreed to contribute £30,000 towards the costs of short-term project management for Cumbria county council to develop their transport infrastructure recovery plan.
Because of the closure of the road bridges in Workington a temporary rail station at North Workington has opened and additional rail services have been put in place to allow transport across the River Derwent. The estimated cost to this Department of funding the additional rail services until May 2010 is £1.2 million.