A £105m injection to improve the North East's roads has been announced.
The Government claim the region's roads will be made "smoother, quicker and safer" - with roughly 650,000 nuisance potholes fixed.
The package was announced on Thursday as part of the £1.7 billion national Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund.
And it comes in the week millions of Brits prepare to return to work from lockdown.
"It is vital that we continue to stay at home and only travel when it is essential to do so, but as people slowly begin to return to our roads over the coming weeks and months, we want to ensure they are in the best shape possible," said Roads Minister Baroness Vere.
“The funding we are allocating will help make journeys smoother, quicker and safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.”
Besides fixing potholes, key roads will be made safer while priority bus lanes will be installed.
Projects will also be implemented to lock in improvements to air quality experienced during lockdown.
The infrastucture fund follows the announcement that £2bn in funding would be made available, partially to encourage more walking and cycling to work during the crisis.
Announcing his 'roadmap' out of lockdown, PM Boris Johnson urged those who could to return to work - but advised them against using public transport to get there.
He instead encouraged cycling, walking or driving. During lockdown, work has been carried out on Britain's roads with £200 million spent last month boosting motorways and A-roads.
In addition, councils across the North East have taken advantage of the quiet periods on the roads to safely carry out key works – including Durham County Council which resurfaced and installed new traffic lights on the A688 at the Roadchef junction.
