THE A64 York to Scarborough road will not be made dual carriageway in the next ten years.

And without a "robust" case, it may never happen, says Stuart Hurst, a top official in the county's highways and environmental services department.

He outlined his view to members of the county council's area committee, meeting at Helmsley, who agreed to urge the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly to seek a meeting with transport minister David Jamieson to emphasise how important it is that extensive work be carried out on the busy road.

Mr Hurst said that the best solution for congestion and safety factors of the A64 was to make it a full dual-carriageway between the A1 and Scarborough.

However, the committee was told that the argument for major investment in the A64 in "pure transport economic terms" was "not that strong".

Mr Hurst said: "The ability to demonstrate that there are wider economic impacts of investment are limited because of the Government's economic impact guidance."

But he said he remained committed to the need for the dual carriageway along the entire length of the road.

A recent study carried out by consultants Steer Davies Gleave provided sufficient evidence that investing in the A64 would bring about transport benefits and aid the economies of the Ryedale and Scarborough areas, said Mr Hurst.

"Additional work is now needed to detail the nature and level of investment," he added.

Apart from total dual carriageway, other options had been put forward, including improving sections which are not currently dual, widening the carriageway and upgrading the stretches between the Hopgrove roundabout and Whitwell, and between the Malton bypass and Rillington.

Improvements to the A64 were now the 13th priority in road schemes for Yorkshire and the Humber, said Mr Hurst.

County Coun David Lloyd-Williams said the justification for dualling the A64 existed more than 15 years ago.

"I am concerned that more public money is being spent replicating work which has already been done to justify the case.

"There must be reams of paperwork already existing to prove the need. People living in the villages along the A64 had suffered misery for years."

County Coun Mike Knaggs said Golden Hill, Malton, remained the biggest blackspot on the A64.

"The only way it can be improved is to dual the road," he said.

A plea for the reinstatement of the rail link between Pickering and Malton to be taken into consideration in the campaign for upgrading the A64 was made by County Coun Murray Naylor, and Coun Geoff Rennie added that there was a need to improve services at Malton station, including providing more car parking.

Coun Arthur Aslett said any moves to have a three-lane system on the A64 should be opposed - "It would be suicidal," he said.

The Highways Agency (HA) has pinpointed 19 schemes to improve the A64, many in the coming year.

They include investigations and design schemes for such places as Barton Hill, Whitwell village and Welburn crossroads, Musley Bank-Low Hutton, Sand Hutton junction, improvements to the A162 junction at Tadcaster, Grimston Bar, Hopgrove, Streethouses overbridge, Bilbrough Top, Flaxton and Claxton junctions, Hazelbush crossroads, Golden Hill and Staxton Hill junction.

The committee was told that English Heritage has objected to the proposed route of the multi-million pound Rillington bypass because of its impact on Scampston and the HA has been in extensive talks to overcome the objection. As a result, it is hoped to resolve the issue in the next few months.

Updated: 10:59 Wednesday, December 03, 2003