A NEW section of a vital trans-Pennine road could take a route first laid down by the greatest road builders in antiquity.

Engineers are exploring whether the A59 at Kex Gill - which travels through a gorge prone to land-slides - could be diverted onto the fell-side to the north where the Romans build their highway.

And the new section could be fast-tracked to completion within about three years as compared to the usual time-scale of six years for a similar sized project, North Yorkshire County Council Craven area committee was told.

The other two options are either to build a new road to the south of Kex Gill, or to improve the present steep-sided and winding route which was closed

Last year, the road - the only direct route between Skipton and Harrogate - was closed for seven weeks as work was carried out to hold back the the the gorge sides.

Since then probes have been inserted into the fell-side to alert engineers to any signs of a potential landslide.

James Malcolm, Craven area highways manager said the project would also include the construction of a crawler lane for lorries up the steep slope to Hopper House Hotel towards Harrogate.

"Normally a scheme like this would take six years but because of the importance of the route the aim is to get it completed within three years," he said.

"We are still drilling the slope to monitor for any movement until such time as the project can go ahead."

Bypassing the route has received the support of the Department for Transport (DfT) which has suggested that the scheme be accelerated because of the importance of the A59.

Councillor Robert Heseltine said the quicker the job could be completed the better because the road was crucial to the economy of the district.

"Whenever the road is closed other places, such as Ilkley and Otley, become gridlocked with traffic using alternative routes.

"It's strikes me as astonishing that the Romans, 2000 years ago, had the good sense to build their road on the high route and some time later someone decided to route it through a gorge. Let's hope this time we can learn from the past."