PROPOSALS to dual a section of the A1079 east of York have been shortlisted by the Government.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has been given approval to proceed with drawing up plans for the dualling of a stretch of the busy York-Hull route near Wilberfoss, and to apply for funding at a later stage.

The A1079 scheme is one of seven projects nationwide which were given the go-ahead by the Department for Transport yesterday to proceed to the next stage.

A spokesman for the local authority said: "The council is pleased that the proposed scheme for improvements on the A1079 has been shortlisted and we will find out towards the end of the year if the bid for funding has been successful.

"If the council does get the go-ahead for this ambitious scheme, work could start on site in 2024."

There was no news yesterday on City of York Council plans to dual a section of the A1237 outer ring road or on a Highways England scheme to dual the A64 east of York, both of which are backed by the Press' Dual Them! campaign.

The DfT said schemes announced yesterday were just the first of a wave of funding to be announced for major road network schemes, with further rounds to be announced in the next few months, adding: "These roads will support wider economies through the creation of jobs."