A £1.6 MILLION scheme to improve traffic flow along the A6136 in the Catterick Garrison area was announced this week.

The work will include an overhaul of the White Shops junction, a change in priority at the notorious Catterick Bridge junction and a signal upgrade at Scorton crossroads.

The aim of the project, which will be delivered by North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council, is to reduce delays and increase the capacity of the road between Catterick Garrison, Colburn and the new A1(M) junction at Catterick Bridge.

Catterick Garrison is Europe's biggest Army base and it is getting bigger, with extensive new housing for military personnel now completed, a new town centre development nearing completion and thousands of new civilian homes in the pipeline.

Anyone who has tried to drive through Catterick Garrison at rush hour will know that improvements to the road system are urgently needed and the proposed work should speed up journey times. As well as residents and businesses in Catterick Garrison, those set to benefit include people travelling to and from the Dales who should face fewer delays passing through the town to the motorway.

Motorists should find it quicker and easier to commute to the region's larger towns and cities, which can only be a good thing for Richmondshire's economy.

The work could also benefit residents of villages such as Tunstall who will hope the junction improvements discourage motorists from using back roads surrounding the military town as 'rat runs' to avoid congestion on the A6136.

Ultimately, it is questionable whether improvements to three junctions will have a dramatic impact on traffic flow through the town, but efforts to improve the current situation must be welcomed.