I am delighted that the York Outer Ring Road is one of five schemes announced by the Secretary of State, Chris Grayling, in his Conference Speech today as part of a major road network upgrade. I have been working closely with Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer, to secure this investment and for other local routes and have had a number of meetings with the Transport Secretary both locally and in Westminster.
I understand that this will include turning part of it into a dual carriageway, although the exact details won’t be known until next Spring.
This is very good news for everyone using the often very busy and congested road and follows years of campaigning. It will certainly ease the pressure for drivers heading towards the A64 to Malton and Scarborough where traffic is also often very slow or at a standstill during busy periods.
I shall, of course, continue to keep up the pressure on Highways England and ministers for the extra funding we need for the A64 improvements between Hopgrove and Barton Hill. I expect the preferred route for this dual carriageway to be announced next summer (2019) following a six week consultation starting this Autumn with work on course to commence in 2022.