A leaked government report shows that earlier plans to dual the A1 were shelved in 2021 without notifying the public, according to the BBC.
The most recent iteration of the dualling scheme was cancelled last year by the current Government, but the Department for Transport (DfT) report said that the funding for the project was cut during the 2021 spending review by the Conservative Government.
It continued by stating that ‘the funding decision was not made public, but [the government] instructed National Highways to cease work on the scheme’, the BBC states.
The stop-and-start project had reportedly already cost over £68m, despite no work being started on the road upgrade.
Government analysis from 2021 found that the costs of the project would outweigh its benefits, according to reports.
A DfT spokesperson said: 'Given the challenging financial picture we inherited, we had to make difficult decisions about a number of road projects as they were unfunded or unaffordable.
'National Highways is now exploring solutions for this section of the A1 that could improve safety and congestion while offering value for money to the taxpayer.'
When approached by Highways, National Highways declined to comment. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been approached for comment.
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