Hope on horizon over A64 upgrade

Roads Minister Stephen Hammond told MPs that “given the (safety) record” of the A64 between York and Yorkshire’s north-east coast, he is “convinced” it will succeed the next time Government money for road improvements is up for grabs.

The state of parts of the A64 have long been a bone of contention for businesses and the wider tourism trade in Scarborough, Whitby, Filey and resorts along the North Yorkshire coastline, as well as for motorists who use the road frequently and people living in the various towns and villages along its route.

The road includes long stretches of single carriageway, which become overloaded with traffic in the summer, as well as a number of dangerous junctions.

Speaking in the Commons, Thirsk and Malton’s backbench Conservative MP Anne McIntosh told Ministers it was time to upgrade the “extremely congested and highly dangerous” road.

She demanded the A64 receive funding through the Government’s “pinch-point” scheme, designed to target key bottlenecks around the country which are holding back economic growth.

Ministers have made a series of “pinch-point” funding announcements over the past 12 months, with money allocated to improving junctions on the M1, M62 and M18 in Yorkshire, as well as the A1105 in Hull and A614 at Goole.

Mr Hammond told MPs that talks were now under way about an extension to the scheme in the Government’s next spending round – which begins in April 2015 – and made clear the A64 is likely to be in line for significant works.

“We are in discussions on how further tranches (of funding) will work,” he said. “I am convinced that given the record of the A64 – one of the criteria is safety – it will be looked on favourably.”

The A64 is a trunk road and so maintained by the Highways Agency rather than local councils.

Local authority leaders along the east coast have long demanded it be improved to allow the local economy to expand.

Scarborough Borough Council Jim Dillon chief executive said: “As the main route into Scarborough from the west of the country, used by businesses, residents and visitors, the borough’s economy is heavily reliant on the A64.

“We would therefore welcome any consideration the Government is able to give to improving it.”

After many months of delay, the Highways Agency finally began work last month on improving one of the road’s most dangerous junctions, at Barton Hill, near the turn-off for Castle Howard.

Campaigners have demanded improvements to the crossroad for decades, and it has been highlighted by North Yorkshire coroner Michael Oakley as an accident black-spot following a series of fatal crashes.

The Highways Agency insists other crossroads along the route will also be eventually upgraded in an attempt to allay safety concerns.

But campaigners claim that a much larger works programme is needed to make the road safer and less congested over the longer term.

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