Green light for £1.3bn upgrade to A66 road in North Yorkshire

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Neil Gerrard Senior Editor, Construction Briefing

12 March 2024

An eastbound view of the A66 from Stainmore Cafe carpark An eastbound view of the A66 from Stainmore Cafe carpark (Image: StaraBlazkova/Public Domain)

The UK government has given the green light to a £1.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) project to upgrade the A66 road between Penrith and Scotch Corner in the north of England.

The existing road is 80km long and is a mix of single and dual carriageway. The project involves upgrading the 30km of single carriageway sections to dual carriageway.

It also involves junction improvements and minor improvements to the existing dual carriageway sections.

Four contractors – Balfour Beatty, Costain, Keltbray and Kier – have already been selected to build the scheme, while Amey Consulting and Arup have developed the design.

Now that the secretary of state for transport has approved a development consent order (DCO) application by National Highways, the government will move forward to reviewing and approving the full business case later this year.

National Highways Balfour Beatty Costain dual carriageway single carriageway junction improvements approving the full business case upgrading the 30km secretary of state for transport
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