After a landmark two-and-a-half year construction project, an East Riding highway is due to fully open to traffic in September.
The £86.9m A164 and Jocks Lodge Improvement Scheme, just outside Beverley, has been the largest development ever carried out by the council and was designed to transform one of areas most congested road junctions for the benefit of drivers and the local economy.
Work began on the mammoth scheme in January 2024 involving two of the area’s busiest roads - the A164 Hull to Beverley and the A1079 Hull to York roads.
Since that time, motorists eagerly watched the creation of a new dual carriageway on the A164 between Beverley and Skidby roundabout, the erection of a new road bridge at Bentley to carry traffic over a new link road, and the building of a roundabout on the A1079.
Working on behalf of the council, contractor GRAHAM has shaped the new landscape by moving more than 660,000 tonnes of earth to carve out along the 4km length of the project.
During the construction:
more than 7.5km of surfacing has been laid along the new roads,
more than 3km of drainage has been installed, plus seven drainage ponds,
around 128,000 trees and shrubs have been planted,
six new crossing points have been completed for pedestrians or riders,
more than 3km of cycle path has been improved,
A new 3km length of public right of way has been created.
Councillor Michael Lee, the council's cabinet member for housing, infrastructure and communications, said: "This has been a monumental task for our project team at the council and for our contractor GRAHAM, but they have done an amazing job to deliver this impressive new highway.
I want to say a big thank you to drivers for their patience and understanding through all the
construction work, but I'm sure they will soon benefit from smoother journeys on this route to the rest of the East Riding."
The Department for Transport awarded £40.7m to the project, with the council investing £46.2million.
