DfT give A66 £1.5bn Scotch Corner to Penrith dualling update

Work on upgrading the 50-mile stretch between North Yorkshire and Cumbria to a full dual carriageway was expected to start in early 2025 after the project was approved by the then Transport Secretary in March this year.

But, the whole scheme was put into question when Labour came to power after the Department for Transport (DfT) said an “internal review” of ongoing, scheduled and confirmed transport projects would be held.

The A66 on the single-carriageway section (Image: HIGHWAYS) These questions intensified last week after the Budget was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last Wednesday and a 170-page Budget document was revealed, with the A66 project omitted completely. 

DfT give A66 £1.5bn Scotch Corner to Penrith dualling update:

Following this omission, the Department of Transport has been asked by The Northern Echo about the A66 and whether the scheme would be going ahead. 

Issuing a statement, a DfT spokesperson said: “Transport is an essential part of the Government’s mission to rebuild Britain and grow our economy, and we are committed to building infrastructure which will drive growth and opportunity across the North while delivering value for money for taxpayers.”

The A66 near Scotch Corner (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) The spokesperson went on to say that the 'Government inherited an extremely challenging fiscal situation, including several unfunded transport projects'.

It also said that the internal review by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh was still ongoing. 

This update from the DfT comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed that he would allow Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond and Northallerton, and Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, who have campaigned for the dualling scheme to go ahead, to speak to the relevant ministers over the project.

A lorry using the A66 near Scotch Corner (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) At Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) last Wednesday, the Prime Minister said: "My answer to him is clear: Yes, I will arrange for him to meet the relevant minister about the A66 that runs through his constituency.”

Elsewhere, a campaign group lost a bid to bring a High Court legal challenge over the Government’s approval of the plan to dual the road at the end of last month.

Transport Action Network (Tan) asked the court for the green light to challenge the then-transport secretary’s decision from March this year to grant a development consent order allowing the dualling of an 18-mile stretch of the A66.

Recommended reading: 

• Convicted drug dealer involved in death of Luke Jobson is back behind bars
• Plans for Darlington Memorial Hospital solar panels thrown out by council
• Burglary probe after County Durham phone and vape shop damaged overnight

Get more content including the stories that matter to your community from The Northern Echo for just £2 for 2 months for a limited time only here.

The group claims the project – which it says will cost £1.5 billion – will increase carbon emissions by 2.7 million tonnes.

The Department for Transport and National Highways both opposed the legal action at a hearing on Wednesday, and Mr Justice Mould dismissed the case.

In a ruling, the judge said the bid “does not raise an arguable basis” to claim the Secretary of State was wrong to grant the order.