York Outer Ring Road improvement plan progresses

The next stage in the development of the York Outer Ring Road has been approved. The project aims to cut congestion while maintaining the city’s historic character by upgrading sections of the A1237 to a dual carriageway, diverting traffic away from the city centre. The upgrade will also stimulate economic growth by better connecting people to businesses, jobs and housing, while removing traffic from the city centre, thus assisting walking, cycling and air quality. Estimates say that, at its busiest, up to 37,000 drivers use the road daily. The scheme will dual six sections of the road from the A19 Shipton Road in the west to the Hopgrove junction with Malton Road/A64 in the east. Work will commence at the end of 2020 with completion due in December 2022. York Council Leader, Councillor Keith Aspden said: “We’re delighted to achieve the next step for this significant investment in York’s transport network. Dualling the outer ring road is a long-held ambition of many residents, visitors and businesses. This scheme opens new opportunities for greater traffic management across the city.” Construction will coincide with works on a separate project that sees seven roundabouts on the route upgraded, to further improve connectivity between York and the wider region. This scheme is the latest to be announced as part of the Major Road Network – other progress improvements include the A1079 in East Riding, the Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway renewal scheme, and £31 million for the Preston Western Distributor scheme.