Julian Sturdy meets Highways Agency bosses to discuss Hopgrove roundabout upgrade

The Conservative MP met Vanessa Gilbert, the Regional Director of the Highways Agency, and her colleagues, to find out more about the proposals, and to talk to the agency's staff about local worries over plans to close Barr Lane in Stockton on the Forest.

Mr Sturdy said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss this hugely important project with the people responsible for seeing it through. It was clear from our discussions that the plans are still in their very early stages and nothing has been set in concrete.

"However, it’s clear that the agency are fully aware of the strong desire among local residents for as much of the A64 to be upgraded as possible, alongside the Hopgrove roundabout.

"The only downside is that spades are unlikely to hit the ground for another few years, however I have pledged to work with the agency to do whatever I can to facilitate an early start date and to maximise the benefit to road users."

He added that while the upgrades for the A64 were very welcome, the northern ring road which is "crying out for major upgrades" should not lag behind, and the concerns of residents in Stockton on the Forest over plans to shut Barr Lane should not be ignored.

In December, a £250 million plan to improve the A64 Hopgrove roundabout and dual the road between York and Scarborough was announced in the Autumn Statement.

Robert Goodwill, junior transport minister and MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said £250 million would be spent addressing congestion at what he called the "pinch point" of the A64 at Hopgrove with a "grade separation", probably a flyover, to let traffic heading to or from Scarborough to avoid traffic travelling into York.

The improvements will also see the A64 dualled from Hopgrove towards Whitwell on the Hill, but Mr Goodwill said the exact distance dualled will depend how far the £250 million budget goes.