I am extremely concerned that plans to dual the carriageway between Hopgrove Roundabout and Barton Hill could be shelved. After pressing for an update on the plans I have been notified by Highways England in a letter of 12th March (attached) that traffic flow assessments have indicated that there may be a need to build a number of bridges to cope with the extra volume of traffic coming on to the dual carriageway from neighbouring areas and this would significantly add to the cost of the project, that this might raise questions about the overall value of the project and that the matter is now with the Department of Transport for review.
I have written to the Secretary of State, Chris Grayling MP asking for an urgent meeting. The project, which was supposed to get underway in 2022, is already behind schedule. I have been campaigning for years, alongside Scarborough MP Robert Goodwill and the A64 Growth Partnership, which includes businesses, local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnership, for an extension of the dual carriageway for which there is a clear economic case. I have been told repeatedly that it is on schedule and so it is extremely disappointing to learn that there may now be some serious risks to work going ahead. I shall continue to do what I can to make sure that the scheme is approved and work starts as soon as possible. This road, on average, carries twice the amount of traffic recommended for a single carriageway and is a major bottleneck and barrier to investment in my constituency and on the East Coast. We must deliver this improvement.
