MP ‘encouraged’ as A64 dual carriageway route option due next summer

THE PREFERRED route for a dual carriageway for the A64 will be announced next summer after a six-week consultation period starting in September.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake says he is “encouraged” by the tight timetable kept to by the Highways Agency for the project, with work on course to start in 2022.

The agency is looking at options to ease congestion between 2020 and 2025 as part of a £15bn road programme.

It is conducting a traffic model exercise to look at the levels of traffic at different times of the year, including bank holidays and holidays, so it can assess the cost benefits.

Mr Hollinrake said in a statement yesterday: “I have been keeping up the pressure on Highways England and speaking regularly to Ministers and the Secretary of State for Transport about extra funding for the A64 improvements.”

He says dualling the A64 would bring a “multitude of advantages” to the region, easing congestion, increasing tourism and facilitating growth.

A Highways Agency spokeswoman said “various options” were being looked at.

A modern version of ‘prefab’ housing could be constructed by the town council to provide stopgap accommodation for the homeless as staff prepare for a surge in numbers seeking help.

Changes mean other bodies which deal with the homeless will have to refer them to local authorities in future.