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20
Nov
Kex Gill cost concerns raised in Parliament today
The rising cost of the A59 road realignment at Kex Gill was raised in Parliament today.
Three miles of the landslip-prone section of the A59 linking Harrogate and Skipton are being realigned.
The new road is expected to open in April next year.
But the cost of the scheme increased this year by £13.7 million from £68.8 million to £82.5 million.
North Yorkshire Council is overseeing the project, which is mainly funded by £56 million from the Department for Transport.
During transport questions in the House of Commons today, local transport minister Simon Lightwood said the scheme had suffered delays and increased costs due to "design changes, poor ground conditions and further incidents of landslips".
Sir Julian Smith in the House of Commons today.
Skipton and Ripon Tory MP Sir Julian Smith urged ministers to "talk more frequently with the council because the cost overruns are now becoming quite a challenge for them, and it’s vital that we get this project completed".
Mr Lightwood replied that there would be no more central government funding and aimed an apparent dig at the local authority.
He said:
Under the major road network programme, once the department has approved a scheme and agreed its funding contribution, it’s entirely a matter for local authorities to cover any cost increases.
However, of course, I’ll be happy for my department to offer advice for the Conservative-run council on how to deliver the scheme within the funding elements provided.
Tarmac, the subcontractor to John Sisk & Son, laying asphalt on the new section of road.
It is not the first time the Labour government and Conservative council have clashed over Kex Gill.
In May, the Department for Transport hit back at claims by North Yorkshire’s former transport chief, Cllr Keane Duncan, that its “bad management” was to blame for the spiralling cost of the A59 Kex Gill road realignment.
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