The near £90 million transformation of one of the East Riding’s biggest bottleneck junctions is set to reach a number of major milestones this month. The Jock’s Lodge Improvement Scheme is the single largest construction project ever carried out by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
The project involves work on two of the region’s busiest roads, the A164 Hull to Beverley and the A1079 Hull to York, near Beverley. Between them the roads carry up to 50,00 vehicles each day. The scheme aims to create a much freer route for traffic for the benefit of the East Riding and the local economy.
On Thursday, August 14, the project, which began in January 2024, will reach a landmark stage with a number of changes to the road layout set to take effect. These are:
The current Jock’s Lodge junction on the A164 will be closed, its traffic lights removed and the slipways on to the A1079 will be closed. Traffic will no longer be able to access the A1079 from Jock’s Lodge. Instead, traffic will be switched over to a newly built section of the A164 road travelling between Bentley and the Lincoln Way roundabout on Minster Way in Beverley. This will be the new way to access the A1079. Traffic will travel to a newly constructed roundabout on the A1079 along the new route between Bentley and Minster Way. The current section of the A164 between the Morrison’s roundabout and Bentley will be closed to all except local traffic.
These changes will come two weeks after traffic was switched on to newly built sections of the A164 northbound between Dunflat Road and Coppleflat Lane, and between Skidby roundabout and Dunflat Road. Work on the project, which is set to be completed in late 2026, has been undertaken by the council’s contractor GRAHAM.
Extensive construction and earthworks have been carried out across the site in order to shape the landscape and create the new road layouts. The latest road switches are crucial in order to continue the work and move on to the next phase to reconstruct the existing southbound A164 road.
When the scheme is complete next year, a new dual carriageway will be opened along the A164 between Beverley and Skidby roundabout. Progress has already been made on the following:
Creation of a new roundabout on the A1079
Construction of the A164 northern link road from the new roundabout to Minster Way/Lincoln Way
Ongoing building of a new Bentley Bridge which will carry a new A164 road over the new A1079 link road, to be built
Ongoing widening of the A164 road to transform it into a dual carriageway between Beverley and Skidby
Building of a new, safer Dunflat Road junction on the A164
Construction of a new path between Beverley and Skidby
The installation of a new surface water drainage system along the route to help prevent the roads flooding in heavy rainfall
Councillor Gary McMaster, the council’s cabinet member for housing and infrastructure, said: “I continue to be incredibly impressed by the progress of this major scheme and it’s all thanks to the work of the council’s civil engineering team and our contractor, GRAHAM. This is the largest construction project the council has ever undertaken and we highly appreciate the patience and understanding of drivers, local residents and businesses while the work carries on.
“We have passed the halfway point now but there’s still plenty of work to be done. When it’s all complete next year, motorists will enjoy much freer, smoother and quicker travel along this route and onwards to the rest of the East Riding.”
To fund the scheme, the council was awarded £40.7million from The Department for Transport. East Riding Council is investing the remaining £46.2million.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
