A Teesside MP says plans to unblock congestion on the A19 flyover by creating a new crossing are not a priority for the Government.
Alex Cunningham said he wrote to Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan two weeks ago asking why the long-standing proposal was not included in the Government’s recent growth plan.
The Stockton North MP said to date he had not received a reply to his letter.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said he and his team were “banging on doors” to make the project happen and it was something he had “championed” since his election in 2017.
He suggested the plans had been given the green light by Department for Transport officials, but still needed to be funded, something that was in the hands of ministers.
Mr Cunningham, who is standing down at the next general election, described how he recently shared a platform with Mrs Trevelyan – the Conservative MP for Berwick who took up the role last month – on the BBC’s Politics North programme.
He said: “I raised this directly with the transport secretary to learn that the Tees Crossing is ‘yet to come across her desk’.
“This has simply confirmed that the proposed project is neither a priority for the Government or the Tees Valley mayor.”
Earlier this month Mr Houchen denied an initial proposal had been rejected by the DfT and said he continued to lobby for the funding that would be required.
The DfT for its part said it was continuing to work with Mr Houchen’s Tees Valley Combined Authority and National Highways – formerly Highways England – and an announcement would be made in due course.
Mr Cunningham said: “I’ve long called for the Government to release funding to get the Tees Crossing moving and so unlock our area to support economic growth and job creation that local people can access and benefit from.
“I’d urge the transport secretary to look at the issue as a matter of urgency and provide both the funding the project needs to get off the ground, and the leadership that is lacking from the Tees Valley mayor under whom the project has faltered for far too long.”
Mr Houchen previously earmarked £24m towards a new crossing from a Government transport funding allocation, describing the project as “truly transformational” and the current flyover as “utterly useless”.
But the sum falls well short of the estimated £500m plus it is likely to cost.
Mr Houchen said: “A new Tees crossing is something I have championed since I was first elected.
“It’s vital we improve the A19 and provide extra capacity so that local people have the fast-moving, reliable road network they deserve and we can capitalise on all of the opportunities springing from Teesside Airport and the Teesside freeport by keeping freight moving.”
He added: “We have committed £24m to this project as part of a local contribution to show how serious we are, and we’ve formally submitted a business case to the Government.
“I have also been in contact with both the previous and current transport secretaries on this topic and we’ve banged on doors in Whitehall to ensure my team could present our bid directly to the Department for Transport and Treasury.
“We continue to underline the importance of this project and demonstrate how it fits in with massive developments taking place right here, right now, like the Teesside freeport.
“The result is that our plan has been approved at the official level and is currently with ministers for the next stage of funding.
“It will cost around half a billion pounds to build and securing such a large investment from the Government does take time – it doesn’t just happen overnight.
“I will continue to do all I can to push this over the line as soon as possible.”
The most recent proposal included a new bridge to carry northbound traffic, while the existing viaduct would be widened to three southbound lanes.
A business case was first submitted to the DfT by the combined authority way back in October 2019.
National Highways has described the Tees flyover as a “pinch point” on the A19 and the body Transport for the North has said it would like to see an improvement-boosting intervention in place before 2027.
