Overview

The A66 plays an essential role for journeys across the north of England. It provides the most direct connection between the eastern side of England and the central belt of Scotland. It connects cities like Leeds, Sheffield and Norwich to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Lorries and freight transport rely on the A66, providing access to industrial estates, farms and quarries along the route and across the country. It is important for ports such as Stranraer, Teesport, Hull and Felixstowe. Over 28,000 journeys are made using the A66 every day, a quarter of which are lorries.

Working with the Government, stakeholders and communities, Highways England plans to invest around £1billion in the A66, dualling the remaining sections of the route between the M6 junction 40 at Penrith and the A1(M) at Scotch Corner. Our work will make journeys on the A66 more reliable, improving access to tourist destinations such as the Lake District, the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and North Yorkshire. We’ll also help provide better links to Cumbria, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear, improving access to jobs and reducing congestion. Our work will unlock economic growth and reduce delays.

In May 2020, Highways England announced the Preferred Route for the upgrade of the
A66 and appointed AmeyArup to deliver the Preliminary Design, Development Consent Order submission and supervise the construction works. We are currently carrying out environmental and ground investigation surveys in the area to help with our design. This event will provide an update on scheme progress.

Who is the event for?

Consultants, contractors, local government officers, professionals, CIHT members and non-members.

Why you can't miss this event

• CPD opportunity.
• Q&A Session and discussion - get your questions answered directly by the speakers and engage in discussion on this topic.
• Overview of the subject - hear about the project and learn more about the progress of the scheme.
• Best practice - gain insight and best practice.

Speakers

Matt Townsend, Senior Project Manager – A66 Senior Project Manager at Highways England

Matt’s broad-ranging career of over 15 years’ experience as a Project Professional extends beyond highways to the rail and wider construction arena, where he has operated across both the public and private sector.
Matt has forged a reputation for building and leading high-achieving, multi-disciplinary teams that deliver complex, transformational projects.

With a background in highways design, he is passionate about harnessing innovative design principles to create opportunities for all users of the road network - whether they be motorists, cyclists, pedestrians or equestrians.
He is also a keen advocate of stakeholder engagement, investing time to understand and meet the needs of local communities, key groups and influential individuals to win their support.

Andy Johnson, Associate Director – AmeyArup A66 Project Director at Arup

Andy is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the ICE with over 25 years’ experience specialising in highway and infrastructure engineering. He has significant experience in leading the design, project management and supervision of large multi-disciplinary teams delivering highway and environmental improvement schemes varying in value up to £1.5bn.

Mark Dobson, Technical Director - AmeyArup A66 Project Manager at Amey Consulting

Mark is a Chartered Electrical and Electronic Engineer being a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and has over 25-years' experience in leading the design and implementation of Highways Technology and Infrastructure projects within the UK and internationally. He brings his Programme and Project Management leadership and experience of multi-discipline projects to the A66 as the Consultant's Project Manager.

Help and support

For further information, please e-mail us at: yorkshireandthehumber@ciht.org.uk