Beryl Burton Cycleway to be resurfaced

Cllr Anne Jones (Knaresborough Scriven Park ward) is celebrating the result of the decision by North Yorkshire County Council to complete the promised resurfacing work on the Beryl Burton Cycleway which should had been completed in July. The cycleway was scarified in preparation for the full scheme of works but North Yorkshire County Council scaled down the works to just 500m of the track. The cylceway is a legacy to a great Olympic champion, Beryl Burton.

Cllr Anne Jones raised a question in full Council earlier this year to request that the decision be reconsidered and that the full length of the track be completed as in the original scheme.

Thursday morning (5 Sept 13) at the NYCC Area Committee Cllr Jones asked for an update on the issue and was informed by senior officers that the works would now go ahead.

Cllr Jones added:

As we prepare for the largest sporting event in Europe coming to our roads and streets with the Tour de France there has never been a more appropriate time to make the cycleways of the district ‘fit for purpose’ as the legacy of Le Tour is expected to be unprecedented. I am delighted with the decision.

Funding of £20k was included in the 2013/14 Highways Capital Programme for cycleway maintenance and the Beryl Burton Cycleway was subsequently identified for the use of this funding however, a detailed survey of the route revealed that the estimated cost of repairing and resurfacing the whole length of the route was approximately £80k which clearly exceeded the budget for this work.

The specification for the cycleway maintenance scheme has been reviewed and it has been possible to reduce the estimated cost to £60k.  In light of this reduced cost estimate, the County Council decided to bring forward cycleway maintenance funding from next year’s capital programme in order to complete the scheme this year and Harrogate Borough Council has agreed to provide a contribution of £10k towards the cost of the scheme.