Main construction on the £1.5bn-plus A66 Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade is due to begin in November, but the project will now be delivered over nine years rather than the five-year programme previously targeted.

The Budget confirmed the start of phased construction on the scheme, which will create a continuous 50-mile dual carriageway between the M6 at Penrith and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner.

Balfour Beatty, Kier and Aureos have been appointed to deliver the main works, covering the remaining 18 miles of single carriageway and improvements to key junctions along the route.

Civils and earthworks specialist D Morgan has already mobilised at the western end of the scheme near Penrith.

The extended programme represents a significant departure from the Government’s original ambitions for the project. Under its Project Speed initiative, the aim was to reduce the construction period from ten years to five, with work starting in 2024 and the upgraded road opening in 2029.

The revised nine-year schedule adds four years to that accelerated delivery plan, spreading construction spending over a longer period.

The upgrade is intended to improve connections between Cumbria and the North-East, with the plans incorporating five bypasses as well as an underpass at Kemplay Bank roundabout near Penrith.

Development consent for the scheme was granted in March 2024.

Preparatory work has been progressing ahead of the main construction phase, with National Highways undertaking vegetation clearance, drainage improvements and strengthening of the central reservation.

(Picture: Mapillary)