Humber Bridge to Beverley road improvements part of Grayling's £560m anouncements

A £400-million upgrade to the A1 will save drivers up to 3,000 hours in journey time a day after it was officially opened by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (May 17).

Mr Grayling also announced a further £173 million of Government funding for three major new road schemes ranging from Yorkshire to Devon.

The key announcement for the East Riding will mean drivers will have fewer delays between the Humber Bridge and Beverley, with £40.8 million being awarded to East Riding Council to turn sections of the A164 into a dual carriageway and for improvements to Jock’s Lodge junction where the road meets the A1079.

David Hooper, External Affairs Manager for the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, said: “We welcome this valuable addition to the East Riding ring road around Hull. The improvements at Jock’s Lodge in particular will help improve key traffic flows in this highly congested area”.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling visited Darlington to officially open the £400-million enhancement of the A1 Leeming to Barton scheme, the sixth scheme to be completed of the government’s £15 billion Road Investment Strategy and said to be the largest road building project in the North.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are investing record amounts in improving our roads – giving motorists quicker and safer journeys to go to work, see family and friends, or go shopping.

“Highways England is making good progress in delivering new road schemes right across the country, providing improved connections and new opportunities for businesses.

“But we’re not just focusing on our major roads. Today I have announced £173 million for schemes in Leicestershire, Devon and East Riding, which will not only save drivers time stuck in traffic, but help support thousands of new jobs and homes.”

Almost 70,000 drivers each day will use the new stretch of dual carriageway in Darlington. This scheme is just one on the journey between Newcastle and London which is being upgraded, from the M1 widening at Leeds; the Catthorpe interchange between the M1, M6 and A14 near Rugby; and smart motorway projects at Sheffield, Nottingham, Northampton, and Milton Keynes.

The £173 million of Government funding, also announced today, will go towards improving the North Devon Link Road, creating the Melton Mowbray Eastern Distributor Road, and improving Jock’s Lodge junction near Beverley.

The cash will see a new bypass for Melton Mowbray given £49.5million as part of the Government’s programme of Large Local Major schemes. The 7km road on the east of town will help support 3,000 new jobs and 2,250 homes by 2026.

It will also mean drivers will have fewer delays between the Humber Bridge and Beverley, with £40.8 million being awarded to East Riding Council to turn sections of the A164 into a dual carriageway and for improvements to Jock’s Lodge junction where the road meets the A1079.

And it will allocate £83.1 million to widen the North Devon Link Road, easing traffic and making the road safer for motorists.