A1 dualling ignored, council leader warns
BBCNorthumberland has been forgotten, its council leader has warned, with government funding of £1.85bn for transport schemes in the North East unlikely to revive the dualling of the A1.
About half the money will be used to build a Metro line linking Washington with Sunderland and Newcastle, while other schemes include introducing integrated contactless payments across bus and rail services.
The dualling of 13 miles (21km) of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham was scrapped when Labour came to power last year amid suggestions it would cost £500m.
In all, the government is to award £15.6bn to areas across the UK in a move it claims will "make all parts of the country better off".
As well as silence on plans for the A1 following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' speech on Wednesday, Councillor Glen Sanderson, the Conservative leader of Northumberland County Council, said he was concerned by the failure to mention other schemes in the area such as the Blyth Relief Road.
"It is woefully disappointing that our A1 – now so busy it grinds to a halt regularly – is ignored.
"This announcement will not help Northumberland grow its economy.
"It also ignores the vital improvements needed for Moor Farm roundabout, which is an essential job that has to be done if the government want to keep up with the county council's ambition and incredible growth that the council has attracted.
"The Blyth Relief Road is also ignored."
'Just the start'
The outline business case for the relief road was submitted to the Department for Transport for approval in January.
Current forecasts estimate completion in 2027 with the scheme expected to cost just under £60m.
It would provide a direct dual carriageway connection between the A192 Three Horseshoes roundabout and the A193 South Beach in Blyth in a bid to reduce congestion, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
North East Combined AuthorityResponding to Sanderson's comments, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, of Labour, said there would be a "huge amount" of money for "local projects in Northumberland" with the newly announced funding "just the start" for the region.
She added: "This is money for local projects which the county council supports and which mean we can push ahead with our ambitious plans to build a fully-integrated transport network the North East can be proud of connecting people to real jobs and new opportunities."
Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle's Hot Seat, McGuinness said she lives on the single lane section of the A1 and knows "exactly how bad it can be".
She said she did "not like" her party's decision not to go ahead with dualling the road and would "keep plugging away at getting national infrastructure money from the Treasury to do that section".
In the meantime, work would continue in improving both safety and the flow of traffic on that stretch, she said.