MP backs £13.4m plan to end road bottleneck

AN MP has thrown his backing behind a £13m bid tomake a section of main road linking York and Hull into dual carriageway.

East Riding Council and City of York Council have submitted a joint £13.4m bid to the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which would be used to widen a mile of the A1079 between Pocklington and Wilberfoss.

The York end of the bid includes capacity increases for all traffic on the A1079 approach to the A64 Grimston Bar roundabout, bus priorities between Grimston Bar and the Field Lane roundabout, and cycle route improvements between Dunnington and the university.

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The success of the plan depends on the LEP securing funding from the Government through the Local Growth Deal.

LEP chairman Barry Dodd said they would be submitting their plans at the end of March.

He said he was confident of getting the funding to deliver their plans.

He said: “Easing congestion around York and improving our connections to the major growth opportunities along the East Coast and Humber are strategic priorities for the LEP. We are working closely with all local authorities and the Highways Agency to develop a package of measures which will maximise the growth and improve access to jobs and opportunities.

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“City of York’s innovation assets around agri-food and the bio-economy have strong synergies with the chemical and renewable energy sectors around the Humber and we need to invest so that businesses and people can access jobs and opportunities.”

East Yorkshire MP Sir Greg Knight said: “I am backing this application to the hilt. If successful it would help ease traffic delays between York and the East Riding and bring benefits to local businesses.

“If approved these works will not only make people’s day-to-day lives easier but it will help business and could provide a further boost to jobs in the area.”