Two-year project to improve East Riding’s busiest road signed off

Improvement works at East Ridng's busiest road is one of the first projects to get money freed up from the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2, a minister has said.

Government and East Riding officials signed off on the works to improve the A164 and Jock's Lodge junction, near Beverley^[1], during a visit by Transport^[2] Minister Richard Holden. He said the works would be on a fundamental piece of East Riding infrastructure and £40.7m in Government funding showed it was investing in the North.

East Riding Council^[3] Leader Cllr Anne Handley said motorists spending their time sat in queues of traffic on the A164 would be a distant memory once the works are finished. The Government's pledge to cover almost half of the cost of the project comes after councillors heard costs had spiralled from £50m to £87m due to high inflation.

Then council Leader Cllr Jonathan Owen said at the time the extra costs would be met with reserves and borrowing. But the deal struck by the Government and the council means the council will now spend £46.7m on the project with the rest coming from the new Network North.

Network North was unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after he announced that the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 would be scrapped. Funding for the high speed rail project has now been pledged to areas across the North including for road and public transport improvements.

Works on Jock's Lodge are set to see a new roundabout built on the A1079 Hull to York road and connected to Beverley's Lincoln Way-Minster Way roundabout. Two new roads travelling north and south bound are set to connect the new A1079 roundabout with the A164 near Coppleflat Lane, Beverley.

The A164 will remain a single carriageway but A1079-bound traffic is set to be diverted to separate new link roads. Works are set to begin next Spring and finish in around late 2026.

The A164 and A1079 are a major routes in the East Riding which carry traffic to and from Hull, Pocklington, Beverley, York, the Humber Bridge and further afield. Parts of the A164 carry more than 30,000 vehicles a day, making it the most heavily trafficked road in the East Riding.

The A1079 carries around 20,000 a day on the approach to Jock's Lodge. Both the minister Mr Holden and council leader Cllr Handley said the financing of the project factored the effects of inflation.

The minister said the project would mark a big change for the road. Mr Holden said: "This will make a big difference to road safety and congestion and boost economic growth, this is an important road not just for the East Riding but for the whole of the UK.

"If you look at a map of the East Riding, Jock's Lodge is right in the middle of it, it's fundamental to the area. This is one of the first schemes that's going to happen from Network North, the cash is already in the bank, it's a down payment on investment in the north of England."

Cllr Handley said it was about time that the congestion at the junction was getting sorted out. The council leader said: "It'll be great for people travelling, whether to go to work and or hospital appointments.

"It'll change this area and hopefully open it up for investment. All those times that drivers have sat in traffic here will soon be a distant memory."

References

1. ^{^} Latest Beverley news- Hull Live (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Latest transport news- Hull Live (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Latest East Riding of Yorkshire Council news- Hull Live (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)