No A64 dualling 'for ten years' (From Gazette & Herald)

No A64 dualling 'for ten years'

THE A64 York to Scarborough road will not be dualled in the next ten years - and a "robust" case will have to be made for such a major scheme to go ahead beyond then, said a leading North Yorkshire highways engineer.

Members of the county council's area committee, meeting at Helmsley, agreed to urge the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly to have a meeting with

transport minister David Jamieson to emphasise the importance of extensive work being carried out on the busy road.

Stuart Hurst, a top official in the county's highways and environmental services department, told the meeting there was not prospect of the road being dualled in the next ten years. But he said the ultimate aim was to make it a full dual carriageway between the A1 and Scarborough.

Other options had been put forward, including improving sections which are not currently dualled, widening the carriageway, and upgrading the stretches between Hopgrove roundabout and Whitwell, and between the Malton by pass and Rillington. Improvements to the A64 were now the 13th priority in road schemes for Yorkshire and the Humber said Mr Hurst.

County Coun Mike Knaggs said Golden Hill, Malton remained the biggest blackspot on the A64.

"The only way it can be improved is to dual the road," he said.

County Coun David Lloyd Williams said the justification for dualling the A64 existed more than 15 years ago.

"I am concerned that more public money is being spent replicating work which has already been done to justify the case. There must be reams of paperwork already existing to prove the need. People living in the villages along the A64 had suffered misery for years".

Coun Arthur Aslett said moves to have a three-lane system on the A64 should be opposed - "It would be suicidal," he said.

Mr Hurst said: "The ability to demonstrate that there are wider economic impacts of investment are limited because of the government's economic impact guidance". But he said he remained committed to the need for the

dualling of the entire length of the road.

The Highways Agency (HA) has pinpointed 19 schemes to improve the A64, many in the coming year.

The committee was told that English Heritage has objected to the proposed route of the multi-million pound Rillington by-pass because of its affect on Scampston and the HA has been in extensive talks to overcome the objection.

As a result it is hoped to resolve the issue in the next few months.

Updated: 11:22 Friday, November 28, 2003