Detrunking of part of the A69
The Petition of County Councillor Nick Marriner,
Declares that the A69 should be detrunked from the roundabout at Brampton to Junction 43 of the M6 and rerouted along the A689 and that this will make the current A69 a safer road for the communities which live alongside it.
The Petitioner therefore requests that the House of Commons urge the Government works with Cumbria County Council to ensure this happens.
And the Petitioner remains, etc.—[Presented by John Stevenson, Official Report, 24 April 2013; Vol. 561, c. 976.]
[P001172]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The Government’s policy on detrunking and trunking is to treat each proposal on a case-by-case basis and to support local authorities where they can make a clear and convincing case in favour of change and where there is no compelling argument for continuing to retain the road as part of the strategic road network.
The first step in progressing the changes proposed by the Petitioner would be for initial discussions to be held between Cumbria County Council as local highway authority and the Department for Transport. Any change of status for these roads would raise complex issues as the A69 is managed under a Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract with the Highways Agency that expires in 2026, and maintenance of the A689 is included within the Cumbria County Council Carlisle Northern Development Route Private Finance Initiative, which was awarded to Connect Roads in 2009 and runs for 30 years.
The Department for Transport and Highways Agency would be pleased to meet with Cumbria County Council to advise on any proposals the Council have for exchanging the route status of the A69 and A689.