Rachel Reeves says 'affordable option' for dualling of A1 in Northumberland being looked at

Rachel Reeves has said National Highways are looking at "affordable options" for the A1 after long-running discussions about the road being dualled in Northumberland.
The Chancellor has been in Gateshead to announce investment in infrastructure improvements across the country.
She said transport schemes in the north “have been neglected for too long”, adding: “National Highways are looking at value for money, affordable options for the A1.
"The previous government put no money into those schemes, despite trumpeting them.”
Speaking at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, which overlooks the Tyne Bridge, Ms Reeves said some of a £1.8 billion spending commitment will complete the renovations of the landmark.
It follows months of mounting pressure over a missing tranche of funding that had been promised for the Tyne Bridge maintenance project, a four-year scheme which began in April 2024.
“We’ve committed part of that money together to finish the work here at the Tyne Bridge and to complete the work that the previous government started but didn’t properly fund, and also that extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington,” she said.
The Chancellor also said talks were ongoing about further funding for the demolition of the A167 Gateshead flyover which has been shut since December last year after safety concerns about crumbling concrete.
She said: “Today, we’re announcing that investment in the Tyne Bridge but that’s the start, not the end of the investment that this government wants to put into Gateshead.”
That was music to the ears of Gateshead Council Leader, Martin Gannon, who spoke to the Chancellor about his regeneration plans.
He told ITV Tyne Tees: "It fits the government’s agenda.
"They want to create jobs, they want to grow the economy, they want to provide homes for people to live in and they want to support some of our most deprived communities.
"Gateshead is putting that case together and I was delighted to get a positive response today."
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