PLANS for a £38m bypass to improve traffic through a rural town and tackle congestion have been given the backing of councillors.

North Yorkshire County Council wants to create a 4.8km relief road to cater for drivers in Bedale, Aiskew and Leeming Bar.

At present the county council estimates that 14,000 vehicles a day currently uses the road.

Proposals for a bypass were first raised by the county council in 1992 to relieve this pressure which causes problems at several areas like the White Bear corner.

It was planned to link up the A684 and A1(M) but the scheme was dependant on an upgrade to the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming.

This upgrade is now taking place and recently Government support for the bypass, set to remove 60 per cent of the traffic from the existing route, was given.

Hambleton District Council’s development management committee, as consultees to the plans, has now given its backing to the plan at its meeting on April 29.

Councillor Bridget Fortune, at the meeting, said: "I’m supporting this application as anything that improves that stretch of road is well worth supporting."

District councillor David Webster added: "I would like to support this wholeheartedly.

"We are basically talking about alleviating the problems at the White Bear corner in the town and anything that does that gets my support."

The district council’s development management committee voted to support the bypass plans at its meeting this week.

It is hoped that the building of the bypass will lead to further improvements such as extra parking in Bedale Market Place and wider pavements.

The bypass scheme must wait for the A1 work to be completed but building work on the new road could start in 2012 and be finished within two years.