A64 dual carriageway - there are fears that the plan won't get out of first gear

Plans to upgrade the road from the Hopgrove roundabout are under review by the Department of Transport.

The MP for Malton, Kevin Hollinrake, has requested an urgent meeting with the transport secretary over fears that plans to make part of the A64 a dual carriageway could be scrapped.

He has written to Chris Grayling, saying he is ‘extremely concerned’ that upgrades to the section between Hopgrove Roundabout and Barton Hill may not go ahead.

Traffic flow assessments have indicated that there may be a need to build a number of bridges to cope with the extra volume of traffic coming on to the dual carriageway and this would significantly add to the cost of the project.

As a result, the matter is now with the Department of Transport for review.

“The project, which was supposed to get underway in 2022, is already behind schedule,” said Mr Hollinrake.

“I have been campaigning for years, alongside Scarborough MP Robert Goodwill and the A64 Growth Partnership, which includes businesses, local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnership, for an extension of the dual carriageway for which there is a clear economic case.

“I have been told repeatedly that it is on schedule and so it is extremely disappointing to learn that there may now be some serious risks to work going ahead.

“I shall continue to do what I can to make sure that the scheme is approved and work starts as soon as possible. This road, on average, carries twice the amount of traffic recommended for a single carriageway and is a major bottleneck and barrier to investment in my constituency and on the East Coast.

“We must deliver this improvement.”