Agenda item

Considered – Report of National Highways.

Stewart Jones (A66 Project Director) and Tom Gifford (A66 Project Sponsor) from National Highways introduced the update, setting out the structure of the organisation, comprising teams in strategy, operations and major projects.

Within major projects, there are projects that can be delivered under National Highways governance (typically under £500m) by regional teams, and those costing more that fall under Department for Transport (DfT) governance.

On the A66 Transpennine Route Scheme, the Development Consent Order was granted by the Secretary of State for Transport on 7 March 2024, and is now going through Department for Transport (DfT) governance to secure further funding to continue developing this scheme. The appeals period is ongoing, where objections can be raised. In recent months, the development has progressed, with designs initially worked up on the western side of the scheme in the first instance.

The full business case is required to be finalised and signed off by the Department for Transport to access the construction phase funding. Pending the conclusion of the appeals period and the extent of any challenges made, construction is expected to start in Spring/Summer 2025 with enabling works. An Environmental Management Plan is also being prepared.

Councillor Angus Thompson, the division member for North Richmondshire, asked about the implications of the A66 scheme on the Scotch Corner roundabout. In response, it was explained that the plans at Scotch Corner were to widen the carriageway rather than a significant intervention. The end of the involvement of Costain as one of the developers for the eastern side of the project had caused a delay in progress, but with different suppliers now in place things can move forwards, but this is at very early stages currently.

As a follow up, the congestion at the roundabout was highlighted, for example residents leaving Middleton Tyas via Scotch Corner can find it extremely difficult and that is without any additional traffic. In response it was noted that as part of the Development Consent Order there has been a lot of engagement on the scope of the scheme which sits within its remit. The scheme now has approval and detailed designs are being worked up for all aspects of the scheme, from the A1 to the M6, with a total of ten different schemes undertaken by three different contractors. Construction for the project will take a number of years, given the size and scale across the Pennines as an important strategic route, with Scotch Corner an important part of this A66 upgrade. However, it is a smaller component project in relation to some of the large bypasses required to enable the A66 dualling.

Councillor Steve Watson asked for the Scotch Corner junction improvements to be brought forward in the overall programme, believing it is pointless rushing traffic to a known congestion spot. On the scheduling of the works, it was explained that considerations on priority include safety as well as the earthwork seasons, traffic management requirements and the views of the expert contractors to allow them to work as efficiently as possible.

In response to specific points raised:

·       Traffic modelling has been undertaken on the scheme in partnership with North Yorkshire Council and the predecessor authorities to support the scheme. National Highways are very much aware of the plans to construct a new Scotch Corner Designer Village close to the roundabout and the relationship between the projects, in particular the cumulative impact, has been factored into the traffic modelling undertaken so far.

·       The close dialogue between National Highways and North Yorkshire Council was seen as crucial for the progress of the two schemes, to ensure that the detailed designs work from both a local transport perspective and the strategic highways viewpoint.

·       Engagement with elected members was seen as an area that could be improved to be more proactive. 

On the A64 dualling, National Highways officers updated the committee that it is one of over 30 RIS3 pipeline schemes across England. Stage 1 and 2 has been completed, with a deliverable solution identified and recommended to the Department for Transport. Follow up work has been undertaken to reduce the cost through a value engineering study, which looked at whether to reduce the number and simplify the layout of proposed junctions, with changes including removing grade separated junctions, adding in footbridges and on-/off-slips. Walking and cycling measures and provision for utilities were also reviewed to ensure the most efficient provision. Natural England had confirmed that areas of woodland impacted by some of the proposals meet the criteria to be classed as ancient woodland, and therefore any further work on this project would need to consider best way to avoid those. This value engineering study reduced the costs of the project assets, but the overall value for money for the scheme has remained low. National Highways are now awaiting direction from the Department of Transport on the next steps for the project. It was also noted that Government announced in March 2023 that work on the future pipeline of schemes, like A64 Hopgrove, that were earmarked for RIS3 (covering 2025 to 2030) will now be considered for construction as part of RIS4 (beyond 2030).

Councillor Caroline Goodrick felt that if there are changes made to the scheme, then the local elected members should be kept updated, to understand what the changes are and can input the local knowledge they have into the plans. Regarding the low value for money ratio, given the expected dualling of the A1237 York Outer Ring Road, it was believed this would deliver traffic in a much faster way to the Hopgrove A64 roundabout, which is already at capacity and cannot cope with the traffic as it currently is. It was felt that all of this would have a knock on impact on the social and economic viability of the local area, in particular employment opportunities given the strategic importance of the A64 route to the eastern side of the region.

In response, it was noted that stakeholder reference groups have been set up and tend to meet every six months. It was understood that local councillors were already invited to these but these will be checked to ensure updates ae shared.

On the low value for money, an economic analysis was undertaken as part of the business case, as well as a strategic analysis. All monetised impacts are added up and then divided by the schemes costs to estimate the benefit / cost ratio (BCR). Furthermore, the scheme is up against 30 others for investment as part of RIS3.

Councillor Steve Mason asked about how the accident blackspot at Welburn is factored into consideration and whether dualling of the route all the way through to Malton has been considered. In response, it was noted that the pipeline study areas had come out of regional modelling and assessments, with the section to Barton-le-Willows seen as the most appropriate for the initial dualling.

Councillor David Jeffels commented that the A64 is now a bottleneck all year round. Given the time any dualling scheme would take to come to fruition, he suggested a rethink and to look at widening the carriageway wherever possible to improve the traffic flow.

Rounding up the discussion, Councillor David Staveley spoke about the frustration with the process that had to be followed and the need for much improved engagement from National Highways to work closely with council members and officers to ensure they tap into the local knowledge of the community representatives directly affected by major roads when developing schemes.

Resolved -

That the update from National Highways be noted and reports to future committee meetings be scheduled for 2024/25.