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Killer road to get an upgrade
Page 8
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• by Jennifer Ball Transport Minister John Spellar has given the go-ahead for the Highways Agency to draw up plans for a £141m upgrade of the A66, once labelled the most dangerous road in Britain.
More than 100 people have been killed in the past 10 years on the route from Scotch Corner to Penrith, which is a mix of dual and single-carriageway sections. The remaining sections of single carriageway on the 50-mile crosscountry route will now upgraded to dual carriageway.
Speller says: "These plans will bring benefits not just for users of this cross-Pennine route but also for local people and the local and regional economies.
"I do recognise the potential impact of these proposals on the environment and I am confident from the work done to date and the evidence before me that this can be minimised with careful design and the provision of appropriate measures."
Jonathan James, Leeds based Freight Transport Association regional policy manager, welcomes the move: "These proposed improvements are of enormous importance to the road transport industry as a major user of the trans-Pennine A66 route. However, the upgrade will also mean a significant improvement in road safety—the development will not only save journey times, it will save fives."
Also welcoming the news, Raymond Colinson from Barnard Castie-based ME Haulage says: "This is excellent There have been numerous accidents because of heavy traffic and the fact that truck drivers cannot overtake on the single carriageway. This often frustrates car drivers who try to get past them before they enter the single sections.
"It could also be good for the local economy if they use nearby firms to move the building materials from the quarries in the surrounding area."
• Environmental group Transport 2000 has condemned the plans. It says the upgrade will spoil the countryside and increase congestion in the take District In addition it fears that it will herald a vast new roadbuilding programme, which will add to Britain's record as being the European country with the highest car use.