Plans to dual the entire length of the A66 between the M6 at Penrith and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner have been given the go-ahead.
National Highways said it was the biggest single investment in the north’s road network in a generation. The existing route is 80km in length and intermittently dualled with around 30km of single carriageway within six separate sections.
On completion, the government said the project would result in an 80km route with two lanes in both directions. The route carries high levels of freight, with 25% of the traffic being HGVs, more than twice the national average for a road of this nature.
It is a vital route for freight moving between Scotland and the eastern side of England.
