A66 gets November start but build stretches to nine years

The Government has finally given the green light for main construction on the £1.5bn-plus A66 dualling scheme to start next month.

Balfour Beatty, Kier and Aureos will deliver the Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade under a revised nine-year programme, stretching the build from the previous five-year accelerated target.

The Budget confirmed phased construction will begin in November to complete a continuous 50-mile dual carriageway between the M6 at Penrith and A1(M) at Scotch Corner.

Civils and earthwork specialist D Morgan is already mobilised around the Penrith end of the scheme.

The longer timetable marks a major shift for a scheme previously billed as a flagship for faster infrastructure delivery.

Under the Government’s Project Speed initiative, construction was to be compressed from ten years to five, with work starting in 2024 and the road opening in 2029. The revised programme adds four years to that planned construction period spreading the spending window.

The three delivery partners will upgrade the remaining 18 miles of single carriageway and improve key junctions along the route, strengthening links between Cumbria and the North-East.

Development consent was granted in March 2024. Plans include five bypasses and an underpass at Kemplay Bank roundabout near Penrith.

Advance works have been under way for many weeks, with National Highways carrying out vegetation clearance, drainage improvements and central reservation strengthening ahead of the main construction phase.

A66 gets November start but build stretches to nine years | Construction Enquirer News