GOVERNMENT transport policy could cripple the North-East’s economy, civil engineers claimed last night, despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s belief it would make a “massive difference”

to the region.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (Ice) claim of “paralysis by analysis” follows the Department of Transport (DfT) failing to include any North-East road improvement schemes among 24 given approval to proceed immediately.

A number of possible North-East schemes are listed as needing “further analysis”

before the Government makes a decision on whether to fund them, while just two are set to go ahead, but not until after 2015.

In addition, the DfT axed the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade, in North Yorkshire, which was due to commence in 2014, in last week’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) also hit out at delays to North- East schemes, pointing out that for every £1 invested in roads schemes, the return in benefits is up to £6.

Ice’s claim that the region’s economy could be crippled by neglect of its road system comes on the day Prime Minister David Cameron tells The Northern Echo that Britain’s road and rail network is “holding our economy back.”

Mr Cameron goes on to say how the North-East is benefiting from “big, bold” improvements to its train, Metro and bus services as part of a £30bn investment in Britain’s transport infrastructure announced last week, but makes no mention of roads.

Stephen Larkin, regional director of Ice North-East, said: “The North-East is expected to be hit harder than most by budget cuts, making progress on these schemes even more urgent, because they would help the economic cause, creating local jobs and putting money in pockets.

“This region has the potential to offer major improvements to the country’s roads networks.

“We have ports which can be developed and used for bringing goods into the region, removing the heavy haulage that would be needed to bring them from the South-East by road.

“However, not only does that investment need to be made, we also require investment to upgrade the North- East’s transport networks to enable the safe and speedy distribution of those goods.”

“In the list of projects given the green light by the DfT, it seems that the rest of England has something to celebrate.

The North East does not.”

Mr Larkin pointed out that there was no mention at all of the Gateshead Western Bypass, the A1 North of Newcastle, the A66 or the A69, all of which link the North- East and the rest of the UK.

Five improvement schemes in the North-East and two in North Yorkshire are listed for further analysis.

Two, the A19 Testos junction connecting the A184, south of Newcastle and the junction linking the A19 with the A1058 Coast Road in North Tyneside, close to the Tyne Tunnel, will begin after 2015.

Douglas Kell, CECA (North- East) director, said: “Overall, contractors were expecting transport infrastructure to play a part in the cuts, but this will have an impact beyond the civils sector, disadvantaging businesses and communities across the North-East.”

Mr Larkin added: “While a number of regional projects do get a mention, it is a case of the DfT embarking on further investigations and we stand to once again have important projects become the victim of paralysis by analysis.

“All of this is on top of the scrapping of the A1 improvements in North Yorkshire last week, another hugely important transport link to the region.”