A66: Long-awaited upgrades approved as road to be dualled between Scotch Corner and Penrith
A major road connecting Cumbria and Teesside via County Durham and Yorkshire will be upgraded after plans were approved.
The A66, which connects Redcar with Workington, currently has around 18 miles of single-carriageway between Scotch Corner and Penrith.
It is seen as one of the key East-West road routes in Northern England with campaigners long calling for it to be dualled in its entirety.
The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project is estimated to cost around £1.3billion and required the consent of Transport Secretary Mark Harper.
Proposals to fully dual the road have now been approved by the Department for Transport and have been welcomed by Highways England and local MPs.
Stewart Jones, National Highways Project Director, said: “We are delighted to have received approval and to be able to give the people of Cumbria, County Durham and North Yorkshire some positive news.
“A lot of hard work has gone into getting us to this position. Now we can push on and deliver this project as efficiently as possible."
It is hoped the improvements will help improve safety for those using the road and speed up journey times.
Around 25% of vehicles using the route are HGVS so it is also hoped the improvements will help to cut congestion.
Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson said: "Having supported my constituents to see this scheme flourish and opened the project hub. I know I speak for everyone when I say we are delighted to get the go ahead to get spades in the ground and deliver real results for local people and our whole region.
"Today's announcement is the culmination of years of hard work - from community campaigners demanding safer routes and local businesses advocating for improved East-West transport links, to the tireless efforts of the National Highways team and our Conservative Government's attentive decision-makers levelling up the UK.
"This vital upgrade will deliver faster travel times with less congestion, level up our regional economy and - most importantly - make the road safer and reduce accidents. Now the real work begins."
National Highways first recommended improving the route in 2016 and carried out public consultations in 2019 and 2021.
A decision on the matter was initially expected last November but was pushed back to March to allow for further impact assessments.
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