A RANGE of radical solutions to decades of traffic misery in Northallerton, all of which cost in excess of £10m, have been unveiled.

A crisis summit was called by MP Rishi Sunak to consider what could be done to solve the congestion nightmare at the town’s three railway level crossings this summer.

Rail chiefs and local council officers and members met at County Hall to come up with ideas for solving the problems caused by the long delays at the crossings, particularly Low Gates at the north end of town.

The options are:

• Bridge: Two possible routes – north to south on existing line of road or east to west with new link road behind Halfords. Ramp for north-south option would stretch to Swain Court to the south and the Co-op petrol station to the north. Estimated cost: £10m or more.

• Tunnel under the railway, which would be prone to flooding. Estimated cost: more than £10m.

• Move railway line: new junction and route for Teesside rail line north of town as part of upgrade of East Coast mainline by Network Rail for HS2 Leeds-Newcastle extension. Estimated cost: hundreds of millions.

• Northallerton road bypass: would help but not completely solve problem. Has been long considered but no preferred route ever published, and county council is currently conducting review. Estimated cost: £40m.

About 40 passenger train services and between 30 and 40 freight services a day pass through Low Gates, the busiest crossing at the north end of the High Street. The barriers are down for more than four hours in every 24.

The barriers will be lowered more frequently with the introduction of direct Middlesbrough-London Virgin East Coast services in 2020 and an anticipated growth in freight traffic.

A new road bridge over the railway line and a relief road between the Darlington and Stokesley roads which will be built as part of the North Northallerton development is expected to help but will not resolve the problem.

Mr Sunak said: “Before the summit I warned there were no easy or cheap solutions. But this has re-started an overdue debate about a longstanding issue and following the meeting we do now have a better idea of how it might be resolved in the future.

“Northallerton is set to grow substantially in the next 20 years and we need to make sure that welcome growth is not compromised by traffic congestion.”

Earlier this year, Northallerton firm Hansom Architects outlined its ideas of what would solve the problems, along with other ways to revitalise the town.

The proposed blueprint includes re-routing the freight railway line to join the main line and to use the freight line as a ring road for road traffic.

Other features of the plan include taking away all the congestion from the High Street; partially making the High Street pedestrianised to allow for more space for the market and al fresco dining; and to knock down the prison walls to open up a new area of town.

Despite the estimated price tag of around £20m and taking 10 to 15 years to complete, the firm believes it would solve many issues in Northallerton.

Mr Sunak said some of the mooted options might be ruled out on grounds of practicality, or cost, but it was now a matter for the local authorities working with Network Rail, the Department of Transport, and Transport for the North to decide on the best way forward.

North Yorkshire representative on Transport for the North is Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

He said: “We must be under no illusion that this is a difficult and expensive problem to resolve but that does not mean that it is impossible. We will consider every option and pursue each opportunity and we are working closely with Hambleton District Council and Network Rail to assess long-term options at Low Gates.”