The decision by the Secretary of State to the Minister of State to grant consent for the A66 upgrade between Scotch Corner and Penrith as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project was announced today.
The decision to approve the upgrade will see the delivery by national Highways and its contractors of the £1.3billion upgrade that will see the full length 50 mile section of the A66 become dual carriageway along with a new underpass as at Kemplay Roundabout and the introduction of speed limits on the A66 around Penrith.
Spiralling costs had caused concerns the project may be scaled back or cancelled after the secretary of state delayed the decision last year along with objections form groups including Friends of the Lake District and some residents and communities along the route.
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."
Speaking on today’s announcement of the go ahead for the full A66 upgrade Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border 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."
Following the development order publication there is a 6 week period that anyone opposed to the approval decision can file for a full judicial review. Once this period has passed work on the A66 can get underway that will see National Highways become a big part of the local community over the planned 5 years of the upgrade work.
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