The green light has been given to dual one of the last remaining single lane stretches of the A30 in Cornwall.

Cornwall Council said the improvements from Temple to Higher Carblake would remove a “major bottleneck” that has a “serious detrimental effect” on business, tourism and the lives of Cornish residents.

Queues of up to nine miles of traffic are common on that stretch in the peak summer months.

Chancellor George Osborne has announced as part of his Autumn Budget statement that developing a scheme to dual the 2.8 mile section can now begin in the knowledge that, if planning permission is secured, the funding is available for the first time.

Improvements to the A30 were identified by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership as one of its key priorities earlier this year, with chairman Chris Pomfret estimating that the work would benefit transport by £154 million, by reducing congestion and delays, as well as bring a £117 million boost for the Cornish economy.

Commenting, Dan Rogerson MP said: “I have campaigned to get this stretch of the A30m dualled since before my election as MP in 2005.

“We refused to let things drop and with hard work, an excellent business case, together with a listening government, we will now see the scheme delivered.

“I'd like to thank Mick Martin and the local Temple to Bodmin A30 Action Group and of course all those officers at Cornwall Council who worked on this more efficient and less costly design.

“This fantastic news will make the road safer, will be good for business and good for local communities, particularly during this tough economic period.

“Under the previous two Governments this scheme languished undelivered, and I am therefore delighted that this coalition government has given it the green light.”