£30m investment in bus link between Sheffield and Rotherham
About £30m is to be invested in improving bus links between Sheffield and Rotherham, it has been announced.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service will include the construction of a new highway link under the M1, low-emission vehicles and new bus stops.
The Department for Transport has pledged £16m to the scheme while a further £8m will come from the European Regional Development Fund.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said the link would create 4,400 new jobs.
"This is great news for bus users between Sheffield and Rotherham who will benefit from quicker, more reliable services," she said.
"This £16m of investment will help unlock the next planned phases of development in the Lower Don Valley, and create up to 4,400 new jobs."
A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said the remaining £6m had come from "a number of other sources".
Work on the BRT is expected to begin in 2014 and be operational by September 2015.
The scheme, which will see a highway link between Meadowhall Way and Sheffield Road bypass Junction 34 of the M1, is set to receive its final approval from Sheffield City Council' cabinet on 20 November.