NORTH-EAST business leaders have welcomed £290m Government road-building plans for the region.

Prime Minister David Cameron today (Monday, December 1) unveiled a £15bn “roads revolution” which includes dualling the A1 to within 25 miles of the Scottish border.

The A19 between Wynyard and Norton, near Stockton, will be widened to three lanes and a study will be conducted into dualling the A66 and A69 trans-Pennine routes.

The building work could be completed by 2020.

Douglas Kell, regional director of the Civil Engineering Contractors’ Association (North East), said it was excellent news but added: “There will still be 25 miles yet to be dualled on this key link (the A1) between England and Scotland and some of the worst bottlenecks are on those 25 miles where lesser improvements are now promised.

“But if what is promised for our region goes ahead soon it will be brilliant not only for our industry but also for our region’s economy.”

James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said the region needed the changes to deliver more investment and jobs.

But he added: “The North-East is still a long way short of receiving the levels of infrastructure investment that will help to unlock further growth and job creation relatives to other areas of the country.”

Penny Marshall, regional director of the Institution of Civil Engineers North East, said: “This work can help the region to achieve its potential, both economic and socially, and will play a significant part in our region’s integrated transport system.”

Visiting the A1 in Northumberland and Fergusons Transport, in Cramlington, Mr Cameron said it was a “happy day” and he wanted to make sure the North-East benefitted from “the economic growth the country is now seeing”.

He said he had told the Highways Agency it could start spending the money “today” and building could begin during the next parliament.

“This is a real boost for the North-East as a region. Connecting up areas of the country with modern infrastructure is a proven job creator,” he added.

Labour said the coalition’s record on delivering projects was poor and much of the money had already been announced.

But the Prime Minister said the A1 had not been dualled during 13 years of Labour government, but had now been given the “green light”.