HIGHWAYS bosses expect to submit a 'final business case' for the £60m realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill to the Department for Transport next month.

North Yorkshire County Council has also repeated it is 'close' to concluding its statutory land processes to allow the building of the new section of road, to replace the landslip prone section of the road between Skipton and Harrogate, and hopes to start work early next year - subject to the approval of its business case.

Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire County Council's corporate director for business and environmental services, said: “The scheme continues to be progressed and we are close to concluding our statutory land processes.

"We are expecting contractor final bids shortly, with the aim that we can submit the final business case to the Department for Transport in July. We expect a decision in the autumn with construction starting early in 2023.”

The new 2.5 mile section of road, will leave the current A59 to the west of North Moor Road, and rejoin the existing road at Blubberhouses. It will include modifications to the junctions of North Moor Road, on the Skipton side of Kex Gill, and at Hall Lane and Church Hill, on the Blubberhouses side of Kex Gill. The county council has said in the past that the work is likely to take around 16 months to complete.