Double delay on road 60 years in the works

The near-doubling of the timeline to dual a stretch of a road across northern England is "deeply disappointing" and has left people feeling frustrated, according to a resident who has seen plans come and go for decades.

The latest work on the A66 between Penrith in Cumbria and Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire will now take nine years instead of the initial estimate of five, the government has said.

Plans approved by the last Conservative administration, paused when Labour won the 2024 election, were confirmed last year.

But Anne Ridley, who lives in Kirkby Thore and whose family was first consulted about road changes in the 1960s, said she was starting to doubt she would ever see it completed.

She told BBC Radio Cumbria: "The first time we were approached to sell land was back in 1963.

"At that point, my grandfather said he'd never see it in his day. He's been dead now 50 years and my father's passed away as well.

"Now I'm at an age where I'm starting to wonder whether I'll see it built."

She believes dualling the stretch of the A66 near her home would make a "tremendous" difference as it could take away large volumes of traffic, including heavy goods vehicles, from the village.

But reacting to the new timeline announced during last week's Budget, she said many in the area were "deeply disappointed".

"Millions have already been invested. It has already caused some concern.

"There's always the danger it won't go ahead. Governments change, policies change, and we're understanding of that.

"It's hard to describe how we feel other than frustrated."

The project, previously costed at £1.3bn, is now thought to have a £1.4bn price tag, but the Department for Transport said building in stages "keeps the project affordable while reducing disruption and minimising environmental impacts".

The first section, between Penrith and Temple Sowerby, is now expected to be completed by 2031.

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