Guy Opperman’s comments followed an announcement by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Autumn Statement that, while the A66 is set to be dualled, the A69 is only in line for junction upgrades in the east.
The scaled-back option chosen, despite a spate of serious accidents and fatalities in the west, features in the North Trans-Pennine Routes Study and suggests the Styford Roundabout at Corbridge, Hexham’s Bridge End Roundabout and the town’s notorious West Road (B6531) junction with the A69 are in line for investment.
Final details of the upgrade are still to be ironed out, but it is understood that both roundabouts will be “grade separated”, which means the roundabout is removed from the road itself and accessed via a slip road, like junctions on a motorway.
This means traffic staying on the A69 will be able to continue without having to stop.
More detail is available in the study which was carried out by Highways England and jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for the North.
The document categorically states that if improvements are not made to the A69 it will “constrain future economic development” and appears to outline the reasons the two roundabouts have been selected for improvements.
It reveals: “The eastern side of the A69 between Hexham and Newcastle is the most heavily trafficked section of both the A66 and A69 routes with 26,000 annual average daily traffic.”
And in a letter to Mr Opperman, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, John Hayes acknowledged the benefits in upgrading the A69.
He wrote: “The Northern Trans Pennine Study has concluded that there could be significant benefits in upgrading both the A66 and the A69.
“I am pleased to confirm that we will therefore be taking forward completion of the dualling of the A66 and upgrading key junctions on the A69 between Hexham and Newcastle.
“These junctions with the A68 and the A6079 will be funded through the recently announced Highways England Pinch Point Programme.
“We will also be exploring further options to address other challenges on the road as part of the route strategy process.”
Mr Opperman said: “The Government has committed £84m to upgrade the junctions on the A69, which will now allow traffic to flow freely on the dualled section between Newcastle and Hexham. This is a good step forward for our campaign of upgrades. I am hopeful we will see this work completed by 2020.
“However our campaign doesn’t end there.
“We want to see further safety upgrades on the 2estern part of the A69 and eventually the road fully dualled. These latest improvements we have secured are all part of that long term process to upgrade the A69.”
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