A1 road

Notes

Primary destinations as specified by the Department for Transport.

Sign at Junction 1 of the A1(M) at South Mimms in Hertfordshire.

Signs at the northern terminus of the A1 in central Edinburgh. Previously the sign had read 'London and the South' instead of Berwick upon Tweed.

A single carriageway section of the A1 skirting the Scottish coastline just across the border from Northumbria.

The A1 is the longest numbered road in the UK at 409 miles (658 km) long. It connects London, the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. For much of its path it follows the historic Great North Road. The modern course of the A1 diverges somewhat, particularly where it passed through a town or village that has subsequently been bypassed, or where new motorway standard road has been constructed on a more direct route. Between its junctions with the M25 (near London) and A696 (near Newcastle upon Tyne) the road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E15 which runs from Inverness to Algeciras.

[edit] Route

See also: A1 road (London)

The A1 runs from the heart of the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral to the centre of Scotland's capital, Edinburgh.

The A1 shares its London terminus with the A40, in the City area of Central London. It then runs out of London through Islington (where Upper Street forms part of its route), up Holloway Road, through Barnet, Potters Bar, Hatfield, Welwyn, Stevenage, Baldock, Biggleswade, Sandy, St Neots and Peterborough. Continuing north, the A1 runs on modern bypasses around Stamford, Grantham, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Bawtry, Doncaster, Knottingley, Garforth, Wetherby, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Scotch Corner, Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Durham, Chester-le-Street, past the Angel of the North sculpture and the Metrocentre in Gateshead, around Newcastle upon Tyne, Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, into Scotland, past Dunbar, Haddington and Musselburgh before finally arriving in Edinburgh at the East End of Princes Street near Waverley Station at the junction of the A7, A8 and A900 roads.

[edit] Origins and history

See also: Great Britain road numbering scheme

See also: A1 road (London)

The modern A1 mainly follows the route of the Great North Road. This was a major coaching route in Britain and was used by the mail coaches between London, York and Edinburgh. It boasted of many inns used as posting stages. Some of these inns still survive.^[1]

The Great North Road, in part, followed the course of the Roman Ermine Street: from Alconbury as far as Colsterworth (at the A151 junction), and again in the North Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire areas - utilising part of the course of the Roman Rigg or Roman Ridge north of Doncaster. Further north the Great North Road utilised the Roman Dere Street. An older and alternative route to the north from London was the Old North Road. This followed the initial section of Ermine Street and joined the Great North Road at Alconbury where a prominent milestone records the respective mileages from London on both routes: 65 miles on the Old North Road and 68 by the Great North Road.^[2]

A traditional starting point of the Great North Road was the now demolished Hicks Hall at Smithfield in Central London. Milestones and distances in road atlases were measured from this point.^[3]The route ran from Smithfield up St John Street to the Angel Islington. However, with the building of the General Post Office at St Martin's-le-Grand in 1829, coaches started using the alternative route used by the modern A1, beginning at the GPO building and following Aldersgate Street and Goswell Road before joining the old route at the Angel. The Angel was originally an inn and an important staging post on the route.^[4]

The Great North Road is often mentioned in English literature, for example Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

The legendary highwayman Dick Turpin's rapid flight from London to York, in less than 15 hours, on his faithful mare Black Bess, is perhaps the most famous legend of the Great North Road. Various inns that still stand along the A1 claim that Turpin ate his lunch there that night, or stopped off there for a brief respite for his horse. Harrison Ainsworth, in his famous 1834 romance Rookwood, immortalised this with a spirited account of this wonderful ride by Dick Turpin on his mare, and it is in this connection that Turpin's name has been generally remembered. Historians have frequently argued that Turpin never actually made this speedy journey, and that, as far as Turpin is concerned, the incident is pure fiction. They argue that such a ride was really made by John Nevison, known as "Swift Nick", born and raised at Wortley village near Sheffield and a well-known highwayman in the time of Charles II some 50 years before Turpin, who to establish an alibi rode from Gad's Hill (near Rochester, Kent) to York (some 190 miles (310 km)) in about 15 hours.

Even more unreliable evidence links various highwaymen with the Ram-Jam Inn at Stretton, in Rutland. The A1 passes a few feet from the door. Although the interior of the historic inn was lost to fire in the 1970s, a modern restaurant occupies the building now.

The original Great North Road had a number of Historic Coaching Inns, including the George at Stamford and the Bell Inn at Stilton (hence Stilton cheese, which was first sold from the Inn from about 1730).

Scotch Corner, in North Yorkshire, marks the point where the traffic for Glasgow and the west of Scotland divides from that for Edinburgh, as it has for hundreds of years before motor traffic. As well as a historic hotel there have been a variety of homes for the famous transport café, now subsumed as a motorway services.

The road skirts the remains of Sherwood Forest, and passes the historic Catterick Garrison.

The original A1 route was designated by the Ministry of Transport in 1921

The route was modified in 1927 when bypasses were built around Barnet and Hatfield

In 1960 Stamford and Doncaster were bypassed, as was Retford in 1961 and St Neots in 1971.

During the early 1970s immediate plans to widen the A1 along the Archway Road were abandoned after four public inquiries when, for the first time, road protesters disrupted the process rather than relying on giving evidence in an orderly manner. The scheme was finally dropped in 1990.^[5]

During the 1980s the Hatfield section was rebuilt in a tunnel.

Recent re-routing required the moving of the memorial at Norman Cross to the Napoleonic prisoners buried there.^[6]

Speed cameras have been introduced on the busy single carriageway section north of Morpeth which is notorious stretch dangerous overtaking and where there is heavy tourist traffic to locations like Alnwick Castle and heavy goods vehicles serving Scotland^{[citation needed]}. Most of the approaches to the roundabouts between Blyth and London have speed cameras, GATSO or TruVelo about a mile before the roundabout, so that people are doing no more than 70 when the signs announcing the junctions are visible. These are being retained or at the most relocated and recalibrated to control speeds through the roadworks as the roundabouts are bypassed.

[edit] Improvements underway

[edit] A421 Great Barford Bypass

An upgrade of the Black Cat Roundabout at the junction with the A421 (Bedford Road) is now complete with the Great Barford A421 bypass also finished. 2006.^[7]

[edit] A1 Peterborough to Blyth Grade Separated Junctions

Work has started in August 2006 to replace the six roundabouts (Blyth (A614), Apleyhead (A614/A57),which is now fully operational-(01.2008), Markham Moor (A57), Gonerby Moor (B1174), again, fully operational - (03.2008), Colsterworth (A151) and the junction of A1/B6403, and Carpenters Lodge (Stamford) (B1081) on the A1 between Blyth and the A1(M) section to Alconbury with grade separated junctions. Once complete this will provide a fully grade separated route between the Buckden roundabout (just north of St Neots and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the Black Cat roundabout) and just north of Morpeth.^[8]

[edit] A1(M) Bramham to Wetherby Motorway

Upgrade of 10km of the existing road to dual 3-lane motorway standard between the current Bramham/A64 junction to north of Wetherby to meet the section of motorway opened in 2006, including provision of a local access road alongside for non-motorway traffic. The scheme's public inquiry began on 18 October 2006 and the project is designed by James Poyner. Work began in May 2007 and is due for completion May 2009.^[9]

[edit] Proposed improvements

[edit] A1(M) Dishforth to Barton Motorway

Current proposals are for the upgrade of the existing dual carriageway to dual 3-lane motorway standard, with a local access road provided alongside for non-motorway traffic, between Dishforth (A1(M)/A168 junction) and Barton (start of current northernmost section of A1(M)). Work is due to start in autumn 2008 and be completed by 2011.^[10] Once completed this will provide continuous motorway standard between Darrington (south of M62 junction) and Gateshead. Some have suggested the renaming of the motorway stretch from the M1/A1(M) Hook Moor junction to Gateshead to be M1 once this work has been completed meaning that the M1 would then connect London to Tyneside.

[edit] Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme

Main article: A14 road

There is proposed Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme associated with the A14 at Brampton Hut roundabout.^[11]

[edit] Other proposals

A proposal to replace the road with a parallel motorway between Stotfold and Alconbury thus giving a continuous motorway to Peterborough, was dropped as too expensive, as was a proposal to convert the motorway north of Peterborough to Grantham.^[12]

Plans to improve the single carriageway section of road north of Newcastle upon Tyne were shelved in 2006 as they were not considered a regional priority. Plans to dual the road between Morpeth and Felton and between Adderstone and Belford^[13] There are now no current plans to dual the whole of the A1 route between Newcastle and Edinburgh, despite fierce campaigns^{[citation needed]} in the past to make this so.

Improvements to junctions near the village of Elkesley, Nottinghamshire are planned; since the 1990s this has been the only location between London and Newcastle where there is a permanent speed restriction below national speed limit, as the village's only access to the rest of the road network is via the A1.^[14]

Further sections of motorway upgrades are planned, which would ultimately create a single motorway running from Doncaster to Gateshead^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Expressway

In Scotland a section of the road has been upgraded to motorway standard and classified as a Special Road, but is not designated as the A1(M). This runs from the east of Edinburgh to Dunbar.

[edit] A1(M)

The A1(M) as it approaches Chester-le-Street.

Some sections of the A1 have been upgraded to motorway standard. These are known as the A1(M). These include:

A stretch between the M25 at South Mimms to the town of Stotfold;
The four lane Peterborough section from the Alconbury junction near Huntingdon to Orton Southgate near Peterborough; this stretch starts just north of the A14 junction proper and receives traffic from the A14 eastbound from the M6 and westbound from the A14 spur and M11.
The Doncaster bypass, which intersects the M18 (this was the first section of motorway on the A1 and one of the earliest sections of motorway built in the United Kingdom);
The new Hook Moor section, and South Leeds Orbital, from Darrington, intersects with the M62 adjacent to Ferrybridge power station and is joined by the end of the M1 at Aberford.
A relatively new (1993) section which now runs from Wetherby to Dishforth, past Harrogate, Ripon and Boroughbridge. The southern stretch to the River Wharfe bridge opened in August 2005. This was separated from the existing Hook Moor section by only around 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of dual carriageway. The majority of this was replaced in 2006 by a new section taking the A1(M) east of Wetherby, joining the old dual carriageway section for only a mile at Wetherby racecourse, before it opens out again to the three lanes and on to Darrington.
The final stretch of A1(M) from Barton just north of Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire to Washington in Tyne and Wear through County Durham.

[edit] Barton to Gateshead

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

30 miles (48.3 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

Barnton

(Newton) Aycliffe
Chester-le-Street
Darlington
Durham
Scotch Corner

End

Washington

Construction dates

1999 - 2006

Motorways joined

57 -

A66(M) motorway
65 -

A194(M) motorway

This section in stages:

Junctions 56 to 59 opened in 1965
Junctions 59 to 63 opened in 1969
Junctions 63 to 65 opened in 1970

[edit] Junctions

The A1(m) near Washington

A1(M) Motorway
Northbound exits	Junction	Southbound exits
Road continues as A1 to Newcastle	J65	Washington A1231 Non-motorway traffic
South Shields, Tyne Tunnel A194(M)	J65	Start of Motorway
Washington services
Washington A195	J64	Washington A195
Chester-le-Street A167 Stanley A693	J63	Chester-le-Street A167 Stanley A693
Durham, Sunderland A690	J62	Durham A690
Spennymoor A688 Durham A177	J61 Durham services	Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor A688
Newton Aycliffe, Hartlepool, Ferryhill A689	J60	Newton Aycliffe, Hartlepool A689
Newton Aycliffe A167	J59	Newton Aycliffe, Darlington, Stockton A167
Shildon, Bishop Auckland A68	J58	Darlington A68
Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough A66(M)	J57	No exit
Start of Motorway	J56	Melsonby, Barton B6275
Melsonby, Barton B6275 Non-motorway traffic	J56	Road continues as A1 towards Wetherby

[edit] Dishforth to Barton

Section to be upgraded to dual 3-lane motorway standard, work due to start late 2008.

[edit] Wetherby to Dishforth

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

17 miles (27.4 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

Wetherby

End

Dishforth

Construction dates

1995 - 2005

Motorways joined

none

This section opened in stages:

Junctions 46 to 47 opened in 2005
Junctions 47 to 49 opened in 1995

[edit] Junctions

A1(M) Motorway
Northbound exits	Junction	Southbound exits
Road continues as A1 to Durham	J49	Thirsk, Middlesbrough A168 (A19) Non-motorway traffic
Thirsk, Middlesbrough A168 (A19)	J49	Start of Motorway
Ripon, Boroughbridge A168	J48	Boroughbridge A168 Knaresborough A6055
Knaresborough, Harrogate, Leeds Bradford International Airport A59	J47	York, Knaresborough A59
Start of motorway	J46	Kirk Deighton, Wetherby A168 Kirk Deighton services (under construction)
Kirk Deighton, Wetherby A168 Non-motorway traffic Kirk Deighton services (under construction)	J46	Road continues as A1 towards Doncaster

[edit] Bramham to Wetherby

Work to upgrade to dual 3-lane motorway standard underway, due for completion May 2009.

[edit] Darrington to Bramham

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

14 miles (22.5 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

End

Construction dates

1999 - 2006

Motorways joined

41 -

M62 motorway
43 -

M1 motorway

This section opened in sections:

Junctions 43 to 44 opened in 1999

When this section opened it ended at a temporary terminus south of the M1. There was a final exit into Micklefield Village for non-motorway traffic onto what is now the access road.

Junctions 40 to 43 opened in 2005 & 2006

This is the most recent upgrade of the road, which upgraded the previous two-lane dual carriageway, much of which was on a substandard alignment to a dual 3-lane motorway. The northern section of the upgrade, bypassing Fairburn village opened to traffic in April 2005 with a temporary connection with the existing A1 between Fairburn and Brotherton. The southern section, with a free-flow interchange with the M62 motorway opened to traffic on 13 January 2006.

[edit] Junctions

A1(M) Motorway
Northbound exits	Junction	Southbound exits
Road continues as A1 to Durham	J44	Leeds, York A64 Non-motorway traffic
Leeds, York A64	J44	Start of Motorway
No exit	J43	The SOUTH, Leeds M1
Leeds, Selby A63	J42	Selby A63
Hull, Goole, Manchester, Pontefract, Leeds M62	J41	Hull, Goole, Manchester, Pontefract, Leeds M62 Ferrybridge services
Start of motorway	J40	No exit
Knottingley A162 Non-motorway traffic Ferrybridge services	J40	Road continues as A1 to Doncaster

[edit] Doncaster Bypass

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

15 miles (24.1 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

Blyth

End

Carcroft

Construction dates

1961 - complete route

Motorways joined

35 -

M18 motorway

This section opened in 1961.

[edit] Junctions

A1(M) Motorway
Northbound exits	Junction	Southbound exits
Road continues as A1 to Wetherby	J38	South Elmsall, Ackworth, Wakefield A638 Non-motorway traffic
South Elmsall, Ackworth, Wakefield A638	J38	Start of Motorway
Barnsley, Thurnscoe A635	J37	Barnsley, Thurnscoe A635
Doncaster, Doncaster Railport, Conisbrough A630	J36	Doncaster, Doncaster Railport, Conisbrough A630
Sheffield, Rotherham Hull, Scunthorpe, Doncaster Robin Hood Airport M18	J35	Sheffield, Rotherham Hull, Scunthorpe, Robin Hood Airport M18
Start of motorway	J34 Terminus	The SOUTH, Newark A1 Bawtry A614 Blyth B6045 Blyth services

[edit] Alconbury to Peterborough

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

14 miles (22.5 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

Alconbury

End

Peterborough

Construction dates

1998 - Complete Route

Motorways joined

none

This section opened in 1998.

[edit] Junctions

A1(M) Motorway
Northbound exits	Junction	Southbound exits
Road continues as A1 to Newark	J17	Peterborough A1139 Peterborough services Non-motorway traffic
Peterborough A1139 Peterborough services	J17	Start of Motorway
Yaxley, Stilton A15	J16	Yaxley, Stilton A15
Sawtry B1043	J15	Sawtry B1043
No exit	J14	Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Felixstowe A14 (M11) London THE CITY and EAST
Start of Motorway	J14	No exit
Alconbury Non-motorway traffic	J14	Road continues as A1 to Sandy

[edit] M25 to Stotfold

A1(M) Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom

Length

23 miles (37 km)

Direction

North - South

Start

South Mimms

Hatfield
Welwyn Garden City
Stevenage

End

Stotfold

Construction dates

1962 - 1986

Motorways joined

1 -

M25 motorway