Four North Yorkshire MPs have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make dualling more of the A64 a priority for his government.
In a joint letter, the MPs said the road was a “vital economic artery” linking York with Malton, Scarborough and the Yorkshire coast, as well as providing important connections to other towns across the county.
Significant stretches remain single carriageway, which they said caused congestion, unreliable journey times and acted as a barrier to investment, tourism and economic growth.
Number 10 has been approached for comment.
The MPs are Conservatives Kevin Hollinrake, who represents Thirsk and Malton, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, whose seat is Wetherby and Easingwold, and Skipton and Ripon’s Sir Julian Smith, alongside Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hollinrake said he and fellow MPs had campaigned for improvements for more than a decade, repeatedly raising the issue with ministers.
The Hopgrove to Barton section was previously included in the government’s roads programme, with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying in 2020 that work should enable the scheme to be funded for construction during the 2025 to 2030 investment period.
The York and North Yorkshire devolution deal subsequently stated the government would consider proposals to improve the A64 between Hopgrove Roundabout and Barton Hill as part of decisions on its third Road Investment Strategy.
However, the MPs said that more than 10 years after the campaign began there was still no clear route to delivering the upgrade.
