HOPES that the congested A64 north-east of York will finally be dualled have won a boost.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake has revealed that three different options to improve the Hopgrove roundabout and create a new dual carriageway to link up with the existing stretch of dual carriageway at Barton le Willows have been drawn up.

He said two options involved taking a brand new route away from the existing single carriageway road and included an upgrade at Hopgrove to include a 'single elongated signalised roundabout' in conjunction with one of the three proposed dual carriageway schemes.

"These are either from a point 500m north of Hopgrove roundabout to Jinnah Restaurant or one of two offline schemes which would take the dual carriageway away from the current road, via either the FERA estate or close to Scotchman’s junction and back onto the A64 at the Jinnah restaurant."

He said the options would go through a rigorous consultation process with regional stakeholders and the public before a final proposal was submitted to the Department of Transport for consideration alongside 32 schemes across the country, with a final decision expected in 2024.

"If successful, construction will be carried out in the building programme from 2025 to 2030," he said, arguing that the need for the dual carriageway was greater than ever ,as the average daily traffic on the road was twice that recommended for a single carriageway," he said.

"The problem occurs on a daily basis, and is often much worse at weekends and in the holidays when there is increased holiday traffic going to the coast. It is having a seriously detrimental effect on the regional economy."

He said he would be working with Highways England and the A64 Growth Partnership, made up of local businesses and representatives from local authorities, to make sure the best possible scheme went ahead, and would continue to press the case for dualling with officials and ministers.

He added that the preferred scheme would need to provide value for money as well as a solution to the traffic congestion which had plagued the A64 for decades.