Former PM warns Government not to delay long-awaited A66 upgrade

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the Government to avoid further delays to the long-awaited A66 Northern Trans-Pennine dualling project, warning that communities along the route have already spent years waiting for improvements.

The Richmond and Northallerton MP said he had written directly to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander seeking clarity over delivery timescales for the £1.3 billion scheme and calling on ministers to ensure communities in North Yorkshire are not left behind as construction progresses.

The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project will dual the remaining single-carriageway sections between Scotch Corner and Penrith, ultimately creating a continuous dual carriageway linking the A1(M) and M6 across the Pennines.

When completed, the upgraded route is expected to improve journey reliability, strengthen freight connectivity and reduce travel times by up to 12 minutes across the corridor.

The Government confirmed earlier this year that construction is expected to begin before the end of 2026, with initial works starting at the Penrith end of the route. However, uncertainty remains over when the remaining sections further east will be delivered.

Sunak warned that communities including Ravensworth and East and West Layton continue to experience heavy congestion, safety concerns and traffic diversion problems while waiting for the project to move forward.

“I first started campaigning for improvements to the A66 ten years ago when I was contacted by the A66 Action Group, which represents these communities,” he said.

“Ten years on, they are still waiting to find out when the road will be improved.”

He added that full dualling remained essential not only to improve safety along the route but also to prevent surrounding villages being used as unofficial diversion routes by drivers attempting to avoid congestion on the existing single-carriageway sections.

The A66 scheme has long been viewed as one of the North of England’s most significant road infrastructure projects due to its role in connecting key freight, logistics and economic centres between the North East and Cumbria.

Supporters argue the project will improve resilience on one of the country’s most strategically important east-west transport corridors, particularly during poor weather and incidents that frequently affect traffic flow across the Pennines.

Sunak also said that while in government he had worked to ensure the scheme was ready to progress ahead of schedule, amid wider efforts to accelerate major infrastructure delivery across the region.