BURY motorists and those elsewhere throughout Greater Manchester will benefit from a massive £100 million "jam-busting" initiative.

Motorway and trunk networks in Greater Manchester, as well as others in the region, are included in a plan to beat congestion.

A fleet of emergency response vehicles to help curb hold-ups is a key part of the new scheme to main the strategic road network to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The emergency response is part of the £100 million four-year commitment announced by the Highways Agency.

Contracts have been awarded for the management of the network and they are part of the Government's 10 year Transport Plan.

This is aimed at streamlining management of the strategic road network and coincides with the devolution of responsibility for many of the region's roads to local authorities. As part of the maintenance contract, a fleet of 10 emergency response vehicles and two motor cycles will be on patrol 24 hours a day on the busiest parts of the motorway network, able to respond within 20 minutes to any incident and to support the emergency services.

The new contract involves a number of other benefits to motorists including a new 24 hour a day call centre for motorists to get the latest information on the road network and "network stewards" who will be appointed for specific routes and be able to deal with queries.

Arthur Ashburner of the Highways Agency said; "Freed of movement on the major road network is vital to the economy.

"Improved incident management and better planning of roadworks are key objectives of these contracts.

"Both have real potential to reduce congestion, improve journey reliability and improve road safety."