Highways Agency
Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers
Introduction
Introduction
The A66 Trunk Road provides a main trans-Pennine route linking the M6 atPenrith with the A1 at Scotch Corner. The existing route is a mixture of dualand single carriageway and the Governments strategy for the A66 is toupgrade the entire route to dual carriageway between Penrith and ScotchCorner.
This section of the A66 between Cross Lanes and Greta Bridge issituated approximately 16km west of the A1. It is one of the six singlecarriageway sections that we are now consulting on. You are now beinginvited to comment on whether you feel upgrading is appropriate and if soby what means. Information on the other 5 schemes is available from theHighways Agency (see Further Information).
Existing Situation
The existing single carriageway section of the A66 between Cross Lanesand Greta Bridge is approximately 3km long. The A66 to the east and westof this section is dual carriageway. There are several properties with directaccess onto the A66. There are junctions at Cross Lanes and at RokebyPark.
The A66 in this location has an average daily traffic flow of 14,200 vehicles,with 25% of these being heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
There have been 14 personal injury accidents on this section of the A66 inthe last five years.
Scheme Proposals
Two route options have been identified for consultation as indicated onthe map. The proposed standard for these routes is dual carriageway asdetailed on the typical cross section below.
The options consist of a common section from the end of the existing dualcarriageway at the B6277 junction at Cross Lanes to approximately 1.5km tothe east. The route generally follows the line of the existing A66, eastboundtraffic would use the existing carriageway and a new carriageway wouldbe constructed to the south of the A66 for westbound traffic. This commonsection is shown in Black on the map.
East of this point, to the junction at Rokeby, two options are beingconsidered.
The Red option is for offline dual carriageway construction to the south ofthe Old Rectory minimising the impact on the St Mary's Church group of buildings.
The Brown option is for online dual carriageway construction with a newwestbound carriageway to the south of the existing A66 and would involvethe demolition of the Old Rectory.
Typical Cross Section
Proposals Map
Environmental effects
Environmental Effects
The Highways Agency attaches great importance to environmental issues.All six proposed schemes will be designed with sensitive issues in mind, with mitigation included where possible. For example, earth mounding or fencingwill be used in conjunction with screen planting. Planting of native trees and shrubs will also be used to help integrate the road into the surrounding landscape. Steps will be taken to safeguard water quality, ecology and cultural heritage.
An Environmental Impact Assessment has been carried out and the resultsare summarised on the table below.
| Environmental Issue | Black/Red Route | Black/Brown Route | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Effect of the Proposal | Comment | General Effect of the Proposal | Comment | |
| Local Air Quality |  Neutral | Small number of properties subject to greater concentrations of vehicle airpollutants, however it is still within the limits of the National Air QualityStandards. | Neutral | Small number of properties subject to greater concentrations of vehicle airpollutants, however it is still within the limits of the National Air QualityStandards. |
| Cultural Heritage |  Positive | Group setting of St Mary's Church and buildings will be enhanced. |  Negative | Negative impact on setting of St Mary's Church and buildings. |
| Disruption Due to Construction | Negative | Every effort will be made to minimise disruption during construction. | Negative | Every effort will be made to minimise disruption during construction. |
| Ecology and Nature Conservation | Negative | Greatest loss of hedgerows but retains more mature trees. Impact on terrestrialhabitats. | Negative | Smaller loss of hedgerows but greater loss of mature trees. Impact on terrestrialhabitats is minimised. |
| Landscape Effects - Character | Negative | Change to the character of the landscape. | Negative | Least impact of routes on landscape character. |
| Landscape Effects - Visual Impact | Neutral | Least impact on visual receptors. | Neutral | Impact on visual receptors, which can be mitigated. |
| Land Use: Demolition | Negative | Demolition of 3 farm buildings at Cross Lanes Farm and the Old Rectory. | Negative | Demolition of 3 farm buildings at Cross Lanes Farm and the Old Rectory. |
| Land Use: Community Land | Neutral | Not affected. | Neutral | Not affected. |
| Land Use: Development Land | Neutral | Not affected. | Neutral | Not affected. |
| Land Use: Agricultural Land | Negative | Slight loss of Grade 3 agricultural land. No severance. | Negative | Slight loss of Grade 3 agricultural land. No severance. |
| Traffic Noise and Vibration | Positive | The Red route will take the road further away from existing properties. | Neutral | Closely follows the existing A66, therefore no change. |
| Water Quality | Positive | Long-term benefit to water quality and improvement of localised flood control. | Positive | Long-term benefit to water quality and improvement of localised flood control. |
| Pedestrians, Cyclists etc. | Positive | Improvements will be provided at footpath crossing points of the A66. | Positive | Improvements will be provided at footpath crossing points of the A66. |
| Vehicle Travellers: Driver Views | Neutral | Travellers views will not alter significantly. | Neutral | Travellers views will not alter significantly. |
| Vehicle Travellers: Driver Stress | Positive | The route will significantly reduce driver stress due to safer overtaking andimproved junctions. | Positive | The route will significantly reduce driver stress due to safer overtaking andimproved junctions. |
| Geology and Soils | Negative | May encounter contaminated soils. | Negative | May encounter contaminated soils. |
| Policies and Plans | Neutral | Proposals in accordance with relevant policies & plans. | Neutral | Proposals in accordance with relevant policies & plans. |
Rejected routes
Rejected Routes
View larger image
Reasons for Rejecting the Purple Route
- Severe environmental impact on St Marys Church group of buildings
- Potential road safety implications.
- Does not comply with current highway design standards
What Happens Next
Your views, together with those of the local authorities and other bodies willbe carefully considered by the Secretary of State for Transport. A decisionwill then be announced on whether the proposals are to be taken forward.If they are, then a route would then be protected for planning purposes anddeveloped in greater detail.
By commenting now, you will not prejudice your right to comment for oragainst any future detailed proposals subsequently published under theHighways Act.
We look forward to seeing you at the exhibition.
Further Information
There are five other sections of the A66 at Public Consultation:
- Penrith to Temple Sowerby
- Temple Sowerby to Appleby
- Appleby to Brough
- Bowes Bypass Dualling
- Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor
Copies of all six public consultation leaflets are available from the HighwaysAgency web site. If you have any questions on this or any of the aboveschemes please ask at the exhibition or write to:
Highways Agency, Major Projects Team M1, Room 710,
Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BE.
For the attention of Marilyn Sinfield or telephone 08457 50 40 30
For further information on the Highways Agency call our information line:
08457 50 40 30