Kex Gill A59: New £60m route for landslip-hit road

The county council has already carried out strengthening work on the current route

A new route is to be built for a landslide-hit road linking Harrogate and Skipton after £56m was pledged by the government.

The money will be used to overhaul the Kex Gill section of the A59.

A new carriageway is to be constructed so traffic will no longer need to use the existing route.

Landslips and road closures have caused high maintenance costs, delayed journeys and unsafe conditions, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

The proposed works would also mean traffic would no longer be diverted through other North Yorkshire towns and villages.

A landslip in January 2016 led to the road being shut for eight weeks.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said people had "been frustrated by frequent road closures at Kex Gill caused by landslips".

"Our funding will go a long way towards addressing those problems, making journeys more reliable for people travelling between Harrogate and Skipton," he said.

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North Yorkshire Country Council will oversee the new road and provide about £4m towards the £60m project.

Councillor Carl Les, the leader of the council, said the A59 was "a vital east-west connection" and it was "essential for the prosperity of businesses".

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said: "Some of our most threatened birds, such as curlew, golden plover and lapwing, could be affected through disturbance and being displaced."

The charity also asked planners "to push for much stronger protection for nature".

If approved, the DfT said construction could begin by the autumn.