The government has given the green light for a multi-million pound scheme to secure the future of a key east-west route.

The initiative to create a new stretch of the A59 at Kex Gill has received the Government's final seal of approval, with construction set to begin in April.

Kex Gill, which is situated between Skipton and Blubberhouses, near Harrogate, has a history of landslips, and the route has had to be closed a total of 12 times in the past 22 years.

The unplanned closures have caused significant disruption for users of the A59 as well as the surrounding towns and villages and have proved to be damaging for businesses and local farmers.

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A new four kilometre stretch of road is set to be created, replacing an existing part of the A59 which has been affected by the landslips.

Executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: "The Government’s final go-ahead is a landmark moment after seven years of hard work, and means we will be able to embark on construction.

"The re-alignment of Kex Gill is undoubtedly one of the council’s most ambitious and most expensive ever highways projects.

"The A59 is a key east-west connection of national significance so it is vitally important that we secure the availability and safety of this route for our residents as well as visitor and commercial traffic.

"We are committed to completing the scheme as quickly as possible and in the most cost-effective way.

"We appointed engineering company John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd for the £68.8m project in September and have since been waiting for the Department for Transport (DfT) to approve the scheme’s Full Business Case."

Kex Gill is the first project under the Department for Transport (DfT) Major Roads Networks upgrade fund to gain Full Business Case approval. The wider fund contains 88 highways projects nationwide totalling £3.5 billion.