A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project Preferred Route Announcement

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project Preferred Route Announcement Spring 2020 Our improvements will transform east / west connectivity across the Pennines in the north of England. Quicker, safer and more reliable journeys will bring communities together, create new job opportunities and support long term, sustainable growth. Contents

Investing in your roads 4

Why do we need this project? 7

Our objectives in developing the A66 8

Benefits of the project 9

Choosing the preferred route 10

The preferred route 11

M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank 14

Penrith to Temple Sowerby 16

Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Kirkby Thore 18

Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Crackenthorpe 20

Appleby to Brough 22

Bowes Bypass 24

Cross Lanes to Rokeby 26

Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor 28

Response to the public consultation 31

What happens next? 32

Project timeline 33

2 3 Introduction Investing in your roads

At Highways England we believe in a connected In 2017, it was announced that the A66 had country and our network makes these connections presented the strongest case for an upgrade and happen. We strive to improve our major roads and that plans for full dualling between the M6 junction motorways - engineering the future to keep people 40 and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner would be moving today and moving better tomorrow. We developed for the next Road Investment Strategy. want to make sure all our major roads are more dependable, durable and, most importantly, safe. Our plans will ensure the entire route has two lanes in both directions along the full 50-mile route. Sections of the A66 have been upgraded from single carriageway to dual in a number of stages We have been commissioned by the Department since the 1970s, with the most recent dual section, for Transport (DfT) to investigate the potential to the Temple Sowerby Bypass, opening in 2007. improve the A66 between M6 junction 40 at Penrith However, more than 18 miles of single carriageway and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner which is a corridor remain, making the route accident-prone of 50 miles. This is in order to address the lack of and unreliable. east / west connectivity across the Pennines in the north of England. In 2014, the Government announced that it intended to examine the case for dualling one of the routes across the Pennines to improve east / west connectivity in the north of England.

We are proposing to invest around one billion This work is important to enable future growth pounds to dual the remaining single carriageway and will help the economies of the North East, sections of the A66, making this one of the largest Yorkshire and Cumbria, as well as improving east / and most important highways investments in the west journeys. north of England. This will signiﬁcantly improve journeys, safety and connectivity which is great In this booklet, we explain the preferred route news for the local, regional and national economy. for the sections of the A66 which are currently Our planned improvements for the road and a single carriageway and the preferred option modern approach to design will also help protect for improvement work at the Kemplay Bank the local environment and important historical areas roundabout at Penrith. such as the Roman fort at Carkin Moor, Brougham We also explain the reasons for those route Castle and areas of outstanding natural beauty that choices, the results of the public consultation held surrounds the A66. from 16 May to 11 July 2019 and give details of The project will involve dualling multiple remaining what will happen next. sections of single carriageway between M6 junction 40 at Penrith and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner. Other improvements are proposed along its length, such as at Kemplay Bank roundabout and the junctions with the M6 and A1(M).

4 5 Why do we need this project?

The A66 is a key local, regional, national route for But the A66 isn’t up to modern standards. east/west journeys in the north of England providing Drivers face congestion, delays at key junctions vital connections for freight, tourism and businesses and substandard access to jobs and leisure across the UK. locations. That’s why we’re investigating ways to improve journeys on the A66 through a number of The route carries high levels of freight, with 25% improvements that would raise the whole route to of the traffic being heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) dual carriageway standard. compared to the national average figure of 12%. Investment in the A66 is essential to the continued The A66 is also an important route for tourism, development of the economy in the north of the providing access to the North Pennines Area of country. Dualling the road and making other Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Yorkshire improvements along its length will support local Dales and the Lake District National Park. and national economic growth and development.

“Not only will this benefit the A66 in general, it will bring hundreds of jobs to the local community in building this new project.”

Quote from consultation response

6 7 Our objectives in developing the A66 Benefits of the project

By introducing a consistent standard of dual The improvement works will also reduce delays A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project provides the opportunity to: carriageway with the same speed limit throughout, and queues during busy periods and improve the we aim to reduce the number of accidents. performance of key junctions such as the A66/A6 ■ improve journey times, reliability and resilience ■ improve amenities for cyclists, horse riders and the M6 junction 40. on the A66 between the junctions with the M6 and pedestrians Use of the ‘old’ A66 as part of the local road and the A1(M) network will deliver safer, more enjoyable Also, having a dual carriageway enables us to ■ improve access to key tourist destinations such journeys for cyclists and pedestrians. close lanes where required due to accidents or ■ improve strategic regional and national as the North Pennines and the Lake District connectivity, particularly for freight and tourism break downs and keep trafﬁc moving. ■ contribute to the future economic growth of The preferred route also re-connects communities ■ reduce delays at the A66/A6 junction the north of England, supporting the growth and links villages along the route. It also improves By making the route more reliable we can improve envisaged by the Northern Powerhouse agenda connections for local people living and working connectivity between the key employment areas ■ reduce the locations where the A66 is a physical nearby providing better access to services such of Cumbria, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear and barrier for communities Without this investment the issues experienced today would worsen with journey times getting as healthcare, jobs and education. improve access to key tourist destinations such ■ improve air quality and noise for those that live slower, road conditions becoming more unreliable as the North Pennines, Lake District and North and work along the route Dualling of all the single carriageway sections will Yorkshire. and risk of accidents increasing. reduce congestion and improve the reliability of ■ improve connectivity between the key people’s journeys between the M6 at Penrith and Better road standards and consistent speeds employment areas of Cumbria, Tees Valley the A1(M) Scotch Corner and nationwide. will minimise noise levels for people living and and Tyne and Wear working near the route and the preferred route aims ■ improve connectivity for residents and workforce The dualling will improve strategic regional and to reduce the visual impact of the new A66. living and working in close proximity national connectivity, particularly for hauliers. Heavy goods vehicles account for a quarter of all trafﬁc Our preferred route has been chosen to minimise on the road and any delays to journeys can have negative impacts on the natural environment and an extremely negative effect on business, including landscapes of the North Pennines and Lake District. lost working time and missed shipment slots. It is also the best option for reducing the impact on nearby homes and minimising the number or properties which will need to be acquired or demolished.

“Long overdue improvements. Will improve safety along very dangerous single carriageway sections and result in much better environment in villages along the route.” Quote from consultation response

8 9 The preferred route

We propose to upgrade seven sections of single In total, we presented 15 different options for carriageway to dual carriageway standard along the respondents to the consultation to comment on. A66. We developed multiple options for five of these sections, and a single proposal for the remaining The following section outlines the preferred route two. We also developed options for an underpass for each of these sections which, in total, cover or overpass choice at Kemplay Bank roundabout. 18 miles of the current A66.

Choosing the preferred route

In assessing the route options, we considered a ■ impact on property number of criteria. Part of this decision making ■ construction impacts was the preference expressed through the consultation process by members of the public, ■ significant risks organisations and statutory bodies and the themes which emerged from their feedback. Environmental impacts and mitigation was also a considerable factor in the decision-making In addition, we considered the following: process. We therefore looked at each option’s potential to minimise environmental impacts ■ economic growth and optimise environmental improvement opportunities. ■ connectivity

■ road safety To this end we have therefore assessed ■ access for tourism and local services/jobs the following: ■ journey time reliability ■ air quality ■ resilience (the road’s ability to withstand accidents or closures) ■ noise ■ provision for walkers, cyclists and horse riders ■ cultural heritage ■ reducing severance of communities (where the ■ water road bisects a village) ■ landscape ■ cost of option / value for money ■ biodiversity ■ the land required for the development ■ water environment and drainage ■ property demolition

10 11 The preferred route

M6 62 N A686

M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank Option A (underpass) A690 A167 A68 41 A690 Penrith to Temple Sowerby 61 Option C (offline) North Pennines Area of Outstanding A688 Natural Beauty Penrith Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Kirkby Thore Option E (northern bypass) 40 60

A66 Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Crackenthorpe Bowes Bypass Option H (Roman Road option) Option J (online) A68 A688 59 Appleby to Brough Barnard M6 J40 Option I (online) Castle 58 A167 A66 Brough A67 A67 A66 Darlington 39 A685 A66 57

M6 Bowes Lake District A167 National Park 56

Cross Lanes to Rokeby A1(M) J53 53 Option K (offline) Scotch Corner Key 38 A685 Richmond Single carriageway Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor ual carriageway Option N (northern bypass) A1 ( M ) Yorkshire Dales A683 National Park

A6108

A684 A684 51

12 13 M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank The preferred route: option A

A690 The roundabout can suffer from high levels of 41 A167 61 41 Penrith A688 Options location map This section carries approximately Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland A66 40 North Pennines Area of 60 congestion which affect the flow of traffic along Workington A689 Keswick Outstanding Natural Beauty Newton Aycliffe A688 A1 (M) A66 A68 59 North Sea the A66 and for north and southbound traffic 30,200 vehicles per day, 19% of Stockton-on-Tees Whitehaven M6 Junction 40 Barnard 58 Castle A167 Middlesbrough to Kemplay Bank A67 using the A6. This bottleneck can also have an A67 Darlington A171 Lake District A66 A66 39 57 Whitby which are HGVs. National Park M6 A685 A19 impact on M6 junction 40. 56 Scotch 53 38 Corner A685 Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors National Park A683 A684 National Park Vehicles slowing down as they approach Kemplay What did we propose? A6108 Bank roundabout can lead to potential safety issues, We proposed two options that would either A6 A686 creating problems for both east/west and north/ introduce a new underpass or overpass through 0 km 1 N south traffic as it passes through the roundabout. the Kemplay Bank roundabout, allowing free Penrith Option A Underpass 0 miles 0.5

flowing traffic east/west and improving access to Penrith Hospital By facilitating free-flowing traffic along the A66, Penrith on the A6. M6 A592 this will also deliver benefits for A6 traffic and Kemplay Bank Junction Cumbria local access routes to Penrith and facilities Constabulary around the junction. This will be a major benefit Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for local people, including pedestrians and Access to Fire Station A66 and Constabulary Brougham cyclists, in allowing easier access through the Castle M6 Junction 40 junction, especially at peak times. River Eamont A6

The preferred option For this section of the A66 we have selected the The overpass option would also have required the underpass option A. purchase of a larger area of the local recreation grounds to the north of the roundabout. The underpass was selected because it has less environmental impact than an overpass. Our selected option was most popular with respondents to the consultation, with 358 While noise levels are likely to increase with either respondents voting for an underpass. This equates option due to higher use of the improved junction, to 80% of the people responding to this question. the underpass noise levels are likely to be lower. The underpass would also be less visible from the surrounding areas.

20 19 12 37

option A 279 (underpass) 79

Key Agree 358 isagree 31 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

14 15 Penrith to Temple Sowerby The preferred route: option C

A690 41 A167 61 There is a single carriageway section for 3-miles on Between Brougham Castle and Whinfell Park Farm, 41 Penrith A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland Workington A66 40 North Pennines Area of 60 this section of the A66 with varying widths, causing both options follow the line of the existing A66, A689 Keswick Outstanding Natural Beauty Newton Aycliffe A688 A1 (M) A66 A68 59 North Sea an inconsistent driving experience and creating utilising the existing carriageway where possible. Stockton-on-Tees Whitehaven Penrith to Barnard 58 Castle A167 Middlesbrough Temple Sowerby A67 A67 Darlington A171 safety issues. Lake District A66 A66 39 57 Whitby National Park Both the options presented would involve the M6 A685 A19 56 Scotch 53 38 Corner A685 Richmond There are also several junctions and numerous realignment of some local roads and alternative Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors National Park A683 National Park private access points, including one for Center Parcs, routes would be provided to nearby junctions A6108 A684 where it is difﬁcult for cars to join the main highway. where required, improving safety and ease of access for local road users. N Sewage works River This section carries approximately Eamont Option C Woodside 19,500 vehicles per day, 24% of Barrackbank From Whinfell Park Farm the road will divert to the Lane End A66 Wood Winderwath south to avoid the hamlet of Lane End. The road will Farm which are HGVs. Swine Gill then re-join the A66 at Swine Gill before continuing A66

to the Temple Sowerby Bypass. High Barn Brougham Whinfell What did we propose? Castle Park Farm Option C We proposed two options to introduce a dual Option D C e n te carriageway on this section. A new junction will also r P a This option is the same as option C but will not r

c s Key be constructed at Center Parcs, providing access ac ce divert the current road away from High Barn and will s to the holiday park and local roads. iscounted option s therefore require the demolition of some buildings

Center Parcs in order to widen the carriageway. 0 km 1 Holiday Village

0 miles 0.5

The preferred option We have selected option C, the southern bypass This southern bypass option was also the most for this section of the A66. popular with respondents to the consultation with 64% (234) of respondents to this question voting We selected this option because it will not require in favour. the demolition of the buildings in High Barn and the potential impact this would have on businesses. It is also further away from the hamlet of Lane End which will help to mitigate the noise impact on residents.

17 24 20

option C 140 70 (offline)

Key Agree 234 isagree 44 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

16 17 Temple Sowerby to Appleby – The preferred route: option E

A690 41 A167 61 41 Kirkby Thore Penrith A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland Workington A66 40 North Pennines Area of 60 A689 Keswick Outstanding Natural Beauty Newton Aycliffe A688 A1 (M) A66 A68 59 North Sea There is a single carriageway for a little over It would mostly be built along a route which is Barnard Stockton-on-Tees Whitehaven Temple Sowerby to Appleby 58 Castle A167 Middlesbrough – Kirkby Thore A67 A67 Darlington A171 2-miles on this section which skirts the village of lower than the surrounding land which will help Lake District A66 A66 39 57 Whitby National Park M6 A685 A19 Kirkby Thore. The carriageway varies in width and preserve the visual outlook of properties in the 56 Scotch 53 38 Corner A685 Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors local roads are connected by several junctions north of the village. National Park A683 A6108 A684 National Park and private access points along this accident-

An additional junction will be created to allow direct British prone section. 0 km 1 Gypsum access to and from the British Gypsum site and will N There is also an access route through Kirkby Thore reduce the level of HGVs moving through 0 miles 0.5

village for HGVs visiting the British Gypsum site to the village. Key Main Street iscounted option Sta the north. tion R Option E o a Option F (southern bypass) d This area suffers from high accident levels and Kirkby A new dual carriageway would be constructed Thore speed limits have already been reduced from towards the south of Kirkby Thore as a continuation Sleastonhow Lane 60 mph to 40 mph. of the Temple Sowerby Bypass. It would cross Trout Beck several ﬁelds and follow the path of an old railway Priest Lane Scheduled Trout Beck monument Petrol This section carries approximately line until it re-joins the current A66 just after the BP Station A66 16,500 vehicles per day, 27% of petrol station near Bridge End Farm.

Sewage which are HGVs, much higher Additional underpasses would be required to provide works Scheduled access for local farms and pedestrians, walkers, Temple Sowerby Bridge End monument Bypass Farm River than the national average. Eden cyclists and horse riders. A new junction would allow Disused railway access to the former A66 and the village. What did we propose? We proposed two options for this section which This option would require the demolition of The preferred option several buildings. would divert the A66 away from Kirkby Thore For this section of the A66, we have selected While this route represents a longer journey time either to the north or the south of the village. option E, the northern bypass. of the two options and may be more expensive, it has reduced environmental impacts while still Option E (northern bypass) We’ve selected this option as it provides the delivering the required improvements. A new dual carriageway bypass to the north of opportunity to reduce traffic, including HGVs, Kirkby Thore which would pass through several from the village of Kirkby Thore. ﬁelds to the west and then travel away from the village to the north and east. This option also reduces the amount of buildings we need to demolish to improve this section of the A66. It will also not impact on the wildlife 70 corridor on the disused railway line. The southern 10 option also had a greater negative impact on biodiversity and the flood plain. 48 option E 241 (northern bypass) Option E was also the most popular with 37 respondents at consultation with 66% (314) of respondents voting in favour of this option. 73

Key Agree 314 isagree 118 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

18 19 Temple Sowerby to Appleby – The preferred route: option H

A690 41 A167 61 41 Crackenthorpe Penrith A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland A66 40 North Pennines Area of 60 Workington A689 Keswick Outstanding Natural Beauty Newton Aycliffe A688 A1 (M) A66 A68 59 North Sea There is a single carriageway for 2.5-miles on Whitehaven Barnard Stockton-on-Tees Option G (northern bypass closest 58 Temple Sowerby to Appleby Castle A167 Middlesbrough A67 – Crackenthorpe A67 Darlington this section which runs alongside the village of A66 A66 A171 to Crackenthorpe) 39 57 Whitby M6 A685 A19 Lake District 56 Crackenthorpe. The carriageway varies in width National Park Scotch 53 The route follows the path of the old railway line to 38 Corner A685 Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors with narrow verges and poor alignment which A683 National Park the north of Crackenthorpe and two new junctions A6108 A684 National Park present visibility issues, particularly at junctions. would be created to serve the villages of Bolton, Crackenthorpe and Long Marton. Trout Beck To Long Marton Local roads junctions and private access points along the route create areas where accidents could The new road would re-join the current A66 just to Option H N potentially occur. the west of the Settle-to-Carlisle railway line. Roman Road This section carries approximately Option H (northern bypass furthest

Scheduled away from Crackenthorpe) monument 16,500 vehicles per day, 27% of Roger Head This option proposes a new bypass following the Farm Appleby which are HGVs, much higher route of the original Roman Road to the north of Crackenthorpe and Roger Head Farm. A66 River than the national average. Eden Crackenthorpe To Bolton Two new junctions would be created to serve the River Eden What did we propose? villages of Bolton, Crackenthorpe and Long Marton. 0 km 1 We proposed two upgrade options which would Key River iscounted options Eden 0 miles 0.5 divert the A66 away from Crackenthorpe to the north.

The preferred option We have selected option H, the northern bypass Option H was the most popular at consultation with furthest away from Crackenthorpe, for this section 72% (286) of the respondents to this question opting of the A66. for the bypass furthest away from Crackenthorpe.

Option H is more resilient as there are diversions available for when accidents happen. It will also avoid an area of potential landslips and the remedial works which may be required to mitigate this issue.

Option G would potentially have had an impact on 20 the River Eden and its floodplains, while Option H 31

will be routed away from nearby watercourses and 23 floodplains. 40 option H Our chosen option allows for improved access to (Roman Road 198 Appleby by utilising the ‘old’ section of road and option) provides better opportunities for crossing facilities for walkers, cyclists and equestrians. 88 Option H also has less impact on landowners as it follows a natural feature which marks the boundary Key Agree 286 isagree 54 of many properties. Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

20 21 Appleby to Brough The preferred route: option I

A690 41 A167 61 There is a 5-mile section of single carriageway on this 41 North Pennines Area of Option I Penrith Outstanding Natural Beauty A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland Workington A66 40 60 section with six junctions providing local access to A689 The current carriageway between Café 66 and Keswick Newton Appleby to Brough Aycliffe A688 A1 (M) A66 A68 59 North Sea Sandford, Warcop, Flitholme and Great Musgrave. Stockton-on-Tees Wildboar Hill would be widened and utilised as Whitehaven Barnard 58 Castle A167 Middlesbrough A67 A67 Darlington A66 A66 A171 the eastbound carriageway and a new westbound 39 57 Whitby

These local access junctions present safety issues Lake District M6 A685 A19 56 Scotch carriageway would be constructed directly to the National Park 53 38 Corner A685 Richmond where vehicles are attempting to join the main Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors south of the current A66. A683 National Park A684 National Park highway which is a single lane operating at a A6108 higher speed. Drivers can also ﬁnd themselves Between Wildboar Hill and the Brough Bypass 0 km 1 in a vulnerable position when attempting to slow N a completely new dual carriageway would be 0 miles 0.5 and leave the A66, especially when turning right. constructed directly to the south of the current Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Changes in speed limits also create potential A66. The existing road would then be used for accident spots. The road in this section suffers from local access and pedestrians, walkers, cyclists poor alignment. and horse riders. Cafe 66 Turks Head A66 Moor House New culverts (tunnels) would divert streams under Brough This area suffers from high A66 Option I Bypass the road at Moor Beck and Lowgill Beck. A new accident levels and speed limits junction and bridge would provide access from Wildboar Hill Herit lway Disused railway Sandford Mire age rai have already been reduced from the new road to Warcop. Warcop Flitholme MOD Training Camp Dis 60 mph to 40 mph. The route Access to the proposed route from local roads Sandford us River ed

Eden ra i lw would be limited to junctions at Flitholme, Landrigg, a carries approximately 14,600 y Sandford and Warcop which would make this River vehicles per day, 30% of which section much less accident-prone. The existing Eden Black are HGVs. A66 between Moor House and Turks Head would Sike become part of the local road network for safer local access to nearby villages, especially for What did we propose? pedestrians, walkers, cyclists and equestrians. The preferred option We presented just one option to improve this As only one route was proposed for this section, section of the A66. This option reduces the impact on the AONB to the option I will be taken forward to the design phase. north of the current A66 and provides continued Only one option was viable for this section because access for local communities during construction. Almost 75% of the respondents to this question five other options have been discounted due to agreed that option I was a good solution to issues impacts on the AONB, the Warcop Roman Camp, The new dual carriageway will connect back into in this section. A further 16% did not express an the local environment and the Eden Valley railway. the existing A66 at Brough bypass. opinion.

19 20 11

35 option I (online) 170

Key Agree 251 isagree 31 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

22 23 Bowes Bypass The preferred route: option J

A690 41 A167 61 This is a 1.9-mile, single carriageway section which 41 North Pennines Area of Option J Penrith Outstanding Natural Beauty A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland Workington A66 40 60 is sandwiched between dual carriageway sections A689 We are proposing to widen the carriageway to the Keswick Newton Aycliffe A1 (M) Bowes Bypass A688 A66 A68 59 North Sea to the east and west. A key feature of this section Stockton-on-Tees north of Bowes village and between Clint Lane Whitehaven Barnard 58 Castle A167 Middlesbrough A67 A67 Darlington is the junction with the A67 which is currently only A66 A66 A171 Bridge and the junction for the A67 where a new 39 57 Whitby

Lake District M6 A685 A19 accessible to traffic to and from the west. 56 Scotch eastbound slip road junction would be designed. National Park 53 38 Corner A685 Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors A683 National Park A6108 A684 National Park East-bound traffic approaching may not be aware After the A67 junction we are proposing to use that one lane at this junction is used for the A67 the existing carriageway for westbound traffic and which reduces capacity and also leads to last- construct a new eastbound carriageway north of N To Barnard Castle minute lane changes and slowing traffic on the the current road. This will require new or extended Bessy Sike A66 which present safety issues. bridges to be built. This section carries approximately Two new eastbound slip roads will be built,

providing access to and from the A67 and A67 16,300 vehicles per day, 24% of the village of Bowes. This would require the demolition of some derelict buildings and which are HGVs. Clint Lane Hulands Campsite neighbouring barn structure. Quarry Option J What did we propose? The Roman Road known as The Street will be closed Low Broats We presented just one option for improving this and access between Bowes village and the A66 Farm section of the A66. Bowes A66 instead provided by the upgraded Bowes junction, Stone Bridge The Street Farm making access to the A66 safer for local trafﬁc. Scheduled There is only one proposal at Bowes because the A66 monument village had already been bypassed by a single

River carriageway route in 1983. Options were also Greta constrained by existing bridges at Clint Lane and at the A67. Greta Valley 0 km 1

0 miles 0.5

The preferred option As only one option was proposed for this section, option J will be taken forward to the design phase.

76% of the respondents to this question agreed 23 that option J was a good solution to issues in this section. A further 21% did not express an opinion. 38 5 3 option J 159 (online)

Key Agree 223 isagree 8 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

24 25 Cross Lanes to Rokeby The preferred route: option K

A690 41 A167 61 There is a 1.8-mile section of single carriageway 41 North Pennines Area of Option K Penrith Outstanding Natural Beauty A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland A689 in this section which is sandwiched between dual Workington A66 40 60 This option would divert both carriageways to the Keswick Newton Cross Lanes Aycliffe A1 (M) to Rokeby A66 A68 59 North Sea carriageway to the east and west. There are two Stockton-on-Tees south of The Old Rectory and St Mary’s Church Whitehaven Barnard 58 Castle A167 A67 Middlesbrough A67 Darlington major junctions at each end of this section and a A66 A66 A171 before re-joining the existing road at Rokeby. 39 A685 57 Whitby Lake District M6 A19 further ﬁve farms accessing directly onto the A66 56 A685 Scotch National Park 53 38 Corner Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors and other private access points. A new junction would be provided for access A683 National Park A6108 A684 National Park to Moorhouse Lane, B6277 for Barnard Castle,

These present considerable safety risks due B Cross Lanes Organic Farm and the listed building a B r n a a r n r d to mixing fast and slow-moving vehicles, a a

Cross Lanes, making access safer and easier. N r C d HGV access to

C s Barnard Castle

a l

major cause of road accidents on this section. se

t L

l River Tees

n L e

A new junction west of St Mary’s Church is proposed a

Introducing a dual carriageway to this section n e would create a consistent road standard. to allow access to the original A66 and Rokeby. Manyfold Beck Rokeby B6277 Grange Rokeby Park

Two new culverts would be constructed to Street Side St Mary’s This section carries approximately Farm The Street Church accommodate Tutta Beck. A66 Cross Lanes Tutta Beck 16,900 vehicles per day, 27% of Farm

Option L Tutta Beck Old Rectory T Farm h which are HGVs. e Ewebank Farm S t This option is similar to option K but the new re

Option K et A66

westbound carriageway would be constructed M

r What did we propose? h

next to the current carriageway. This would mean o

s Greta

Bridge A new westbound carriageway to the south of the that some buildings to the south of the current L a

n current A66 between the B6277 junction at Cross A66 would need to be demolished. e

Lanes and Rokeby, after which two options exist Brignall Lane around the St. Mary’s Church buildings. This option would retain local access at Rokeby B rign all 0 km 1 junction for eastbound trafﬁc. Westbound trafﬁc Key Lane iscounted option would be required to utilise Cross Lanes junction 0 miles 0.5 and the B6277 for access to Barnard Castle.

The preferred option For this section of the A66, we have selected option Option K was the most popular with respondents at K, the southern bypass. consultation with 176 respondents to this question voting in favour of the southern bypass. This equates We selected option K because it does not impact to 56% of respondents. on the setting of St Mary’s Church or require the demolition of the Old Rectory. The section of the A66 would also allow HGVs to easily travel 32 in both directions on the A66 via the new all 16 98 movement junction. 21 option K (offline)

Key Agree 176 isagree 37 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

26 27 Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor The preferred route: option N

A690 41 A167 61 There are 4-miles of single carriageway in this 41 North Pennines Area of Option N Penrith Outstanding Natural Beauty A688 Options location map Bishop CUMBRIA DURHAM Auckland A689 section of the A66 and, while the road is relatively Workington A66 40 60 After West Layton, we proposed a new dual Keswick Newton Stephen Bank Aycliffe A1 (M) to Carkin MoorA688 A66 A68 59 North Sea straight, it rises and falls in areas, causing visibility Stockton-on-Tees carriageway to the north of the existing A66 and Whitehaven Barnard 58 Castle A167 A67 Middlesbrough A67 Darlington issues and forcing HGVs to accelerate to navigate A66 A66 A171 the properties at Fox Hall and Mainsgill Farm. This 39 A685 57 Whitby Lake District M6 A19 steep inclines. 56 A685 Scotch would re- join the current alignment of the A66 at National Park 53 38 Corner Richmond Yorkshire Dales A167 North Yorkshire Moors A683 Carkin Moor Farm. National Park A6108 Multiple access points present safety issues where A684 National Park vehicles are attempting to join a single lane at A new junction and bridge on Moor Lane would East Layton 0 km 1 high speeds. Drivers can also ﬁnd themselves in provide safe and easy access to the old A66, the N a vulnerable position when attempting to slow and villages of East and West Layton and Ravensworth 0 miles 0.5 leave the A66, especially when turning right. and the Mainsgill Farm shop. Key iscounted options

The new dual carriageway is expected to re-join C Carkin Moor This section carries approximately o l l Option N i e r West Layton the A66 just after Mainsgill Farm and therefore L

a n Lane Moor 17,100 vehicles per day, 27% of e Carkin requires the widening of the road through the Ravensworth Moor Farm Lodge scheduled monument. which are HGVs. Stephen Bank Scheduled A66 monument A66

Option O Mainsgill Farm D

What did we propose? c

This option follows the same route as option M as S

c W o Green Bank a A new dual carriageway at Stephen Bank, followed Browson t Fox Hall W i a L Farm t r l re far as New Lane where it diverts north to avoid Farm a Old Dunsa a Inn n n e n r Bank d L e e a by three different options that consider the impact s an ne L East L a Mainsgill Farm shop. w n Browson e e on Fox Hall Inn, Mainsgill Farm and the Carkin Moor N To Richmond Browson scheduled monument. A new eastbound junction at Fox Hall would Beck

provide local access to the old A66 and West All the options would incorporate the dualling of Layton. New Lane would be realigned to the current A66 between Stephen Bank and West connect with the new A66 to provide access for The preferred option Layton broadly following the line of the existing road. Ravensworth. We have chosen option N, the northern bypass The northern bypass option N was the most Option M to improve this section of the A66. popular at consultation with 179 people voting in This proposed route would continue in a northerly favour of this option. This represents 51% of the After West Layton, we proposed a new dual direction to a new junction at Moor Lane to We selected option N because this route respondents to this question. carriageway to the south of the existing A66 and provide access from Mainsgill Farm and the maintained the line of the A66 through the the properties at Fox Hall and Mainsgill Farm. It former A66. scheduled monument at Carkin Moor. Option would re-join with the A66 at Carkin Moor Farm N also presented better options for utilising the beyond the scheduled monument. The new dual carriageway would re-join the A66 just detrunked section of the A66 to allow safe and after Mainsgill Farm therefore requiring the widening easy access to local villages and facilities. A new junction and bridge at New Lane would of the road through the scheduled monument. 35 also be required to provide access to the new We sought advice from Historic England around 35 A66 for several properties and the villages of the options in this area due to the importance of 126 East and West Layton and Ravensworth. Several the scheduled monument. Their view was that option N underpasses would be created to maintain land the known impact of carefully widening the road 35 (northern bypass) access and public rights of way. through the monument was preferable to the impacts on potentially unknown archaeological assets of constructing a new road to the south. 64 53

Key Agree 179 isagree 70 Neither/nor Strongly agree Strongly disagree ont know Tend to agree Tend to disagree

28 29 A total of 2,333 people attended the Response to the public consultation exhibitions and we received 854 We held a public consultation between 16 May A total of 2333 people attended the exhibitions and responses to the consultation. and 11 July 2019 where we presented our outline we received 854 responses to the consultation. options for improving the A66. We also conducted an online consultation. This included options for A total of 394 were received as paper response dualling the sections of single carriageway along forms, 375 via the online response form, 84 the A66 and improvement works for the Kemplay responses were received by email and 4 as posted Bank roundabout at Penrith. In total, there were 15 correspondence. different options for respondents to comment on. The public response to our proposals was We held 21 events in local areas along the route overwhelmingly positive with 92.5% of 769 during the consultation. We engaged with key respondents being in favour of dualling the stakeholders to seek their views, such as local remaining single carriageway sections of the A66. authorities, parish councils, ward representatives, The following table shows the number of people landowners, local residents and road users. Since who agreed with each of the route options then, we have continued to engage with our presented at consultation. *The options highlighted customers and representatives of organisations in green represent the preferred route which will be such as the Environment Agency, Natural England taken forward to detailed design. 92.5% and Historic England. said they were in favour of dualling the remaining Route section Route option Number of respondents who stated ‘strongly agree’ single carriageway or ‘tend to agree’ to each option sections between Penrith M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank A 358 and Scotch Corner B 87 Penrith to Temple Sowerby C 234 D 105 Temple Sowerby to Appleby Kirkby Thore E 314 F 171 Temple Sowerby to Appleby Crackenthorpe G 95 H 286 Appleby to Brough I 251 Bowes Bypass J 223 Cross Lanes to Rokeby K 176 L 85 Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor M 137 N 179 O 41

Note: Not all of the 769 people who completed the response form, responded to every question. Further information about the consultation, the responses and how we’ll consider them can be seen in our Consultation Report Thanks to everyone who took part. which is available on the project website (see page 32 for link). Your views are important and help shape the project.

30 31 What happens next? Project timeline

Now we have announced the preferred route, we In the meantime, we will continue to engage with will carry out further surveys and investigations to our stakeholders and the local community to help Project Consultation on Public Construction help us design the project in more detail. These us refine the design before inviting the public to commenced route options consultation start surveys and investigations will also be vital in submit further feedback. providing information for our assessments which will underpin our future consultations and our Throughout the process we will keep listening and subsequent DCO application (see below). As part of talking to everyone with an interest in the project. Preferred Route DCO this work, you may notice some activity in the area. There will also be regular updates and information Announcement application on our website highwaysengland.co.uk/a66- We plan to consult on the design of the road and northern-trans-pennine/ the junctions at a later date giving you a further opportunity to share your views with us.

Application for a Development Consent Order (DCO)

This project is classed as a Nationally Significant The application will be made to the Planning 2017 2019 2020 2024/25 Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act Inspectorate, who will examine the application. 2008. This means that we are required to make an Following the examination, the Examining Authority application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) will make a recommendation to the Secretary of to obtain permission to construct the project. State for Transport, who will decide whether the project will go ahead. The timeline shows the different stages in this Options Design DCO decision process. Following a further consultation on shortlisting development the design, we will prepare an application for a Development Consent Order that will include an Environmental Statement. Options Preferred route Further identification selection design

Ongoing engagement / media updates

Find out more

Find out more about the DCO process on the Planning Inspectorate’s website: http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk

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