Campaigners have launched a legal challenge against National Highways’ £1.5bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme.
Transport Action Network (TAN) said the decision in March by transport secretary Mark Harper to grant a Development Consent Order was flawed.
TAN founder and director Chris Todd said: ‘The £1.5bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine represents very poor value for money and will cause great harm to important landscapes and wildlife.’
He added: ‘National Highways should instead be implementing cheaper and quicker safety measures on this road, for a fraction of the cost and without harming the environment or taking us backwards on climate.’
The scheme is officially poor value for money, with a benefit cost ratio of 0.9, meaning that it will cost more to build than it will provide in economic benefits.
National Highways had already acknowledged that the Government would need to approve the scheme’s full business case before it could go ahead.
In a statement on the scheme’s website, it said: ‘We are disappointed about the legal challenge as we believe our proposals will provide much needed improved safety and reliability for drivers and businesses that use this vitally important route every day, while also delivering a boost to the regional economy.’
The company said it has been designing and developing the project and will continue to carry out archaeological investigations and preparatory works, including utility diversions, during 2024.
It added that it is too early to say how much of an impact the legal challenge will have on its programme and start of works.
