A1(M) Leeming - Barton

[Roadmeister17]

I hope they crack on and complete the A66 dualling north- west of Scotch Corner once the A1L2B is complete. It was supposed to have been done years ago but was not fully carried through...missed opportunity. ROADMEISTER 17.

[wrinkly]

I hope they crack on and complete the A66 dualling north- west of Scotch Corner once the A1L2B is complete. It was supposed to have been done years ago but was not fully carried through...missed opportunity. ROADMEISTER 17.

Unfortunately it still has all its statutory processes to go through. When it was looked at in the noughties, it was put on hold without a preferred route being announced for any of the six sections. There were consultations for all six but it got the chop before any outcomes were announced.

[Bryn666]

So a bit of hydro-blasting is utterly impossible to organise and there are absolutely no other patches of black anywhere else on the network that don't have removed markings?

Extremely weak and unconvincing excuse from whoever sorted this one out TBH.

Case in point being smart motorways where all the TM markings are permanently scarred onto the carriageway.

Judging by how the rest of the scheme is using post mounted signs perhaps the thought of dealing with a Cat 0 structure terrified them. I still think it's miserly 'value engineering' that Scotch Corner will not have any overhead signing despite the high freight volumes leaving there.

Yet given the absurd amounts the LAR and it's two skew bridges must have cost...

Why do I always find myself having the same moan about Highways England and signs...

[fras]

I hope they crack on and complete the A66 dualling north- west of Scotch Corner once the A1L2B is complete. It was supposed to have been done years ago but was not fully carried through...missed opportunity. ROADMEISTER 17.

Unfortunately it still has all its statutory processes to go through. When it was looked at in the noughties, it was put on hold without a preferred route being announced for any of the six sections. There were consultations for all six but it got the chop before any outcomes were announced.

Which will no doubt put another decade into the delay!

[Mark Hewitt]

I hope they crack on and complete the A66 dualling north- west of Scotch Corner once the A1L2B is complete. It was supposed to have been done years ago but was not fully carried through...missed opportunity. ROADMEISTER 17.

Unfortunately it still has all its statutory processes to go through. When it was looked at in the noughties, it was put on hold without a preferred route being announced for any of the six sections. There were consultations for all six but it got the chop before any outcomes were announced.

Which will no doubt put another decade into the delay!

It was the same thing that put paid to the likes of the A1 Morpeth to Felton dualling that the route was overnight reclassified as 'regional' which for some reason meant there was zero funding available.

[Roadmeister17]

Bryn666 makes a good point about overhead signage at J53 Scotch Corner.
Given the importance of this particular junction, I think overhead gantries - as per the 1995 Walshford - Dishforth section for example - would be far more appropriate than lacklustre 'panel' signs. I suppose it is all don to that old bugbear - COSTS !
ROADMEISTER 17.

[Hdeng16]

So a bit of hydro-blasting is utterly impossible to organise and there are absolutely no other patches of black anywhere else on the network that don't have removed markings?

Extremely weak and unconvincing excuse from whoever sorted this one out TBH.

Case in point being smart motorways where all the TM markings are permanently scarred onto the carriageway.

Judging by how the rest of the scheme is using post mounted signs perhaps the thought of dealing with a Cat 0 structure terrified them. I still think it's miserly 'value engineering' that Scotch Corner will not have any overhead signing despite the high freight volumes leaving there.

Yet given the absurd amounts the LAR and it's two skew bridges must have cost...

Why do I always find myself having the same moan about Highways England and signs...

I'm gonna put it out there and say this appears to be the worst HA/HE project ever. Massively delayed, ridiculous decision making. I can't think of a worst project in HE/HA's history. Anyone?

[Mark Hewitt]

I'm gonna put it out there and say this appears to be the worst HA/HE project ever. Massively delayed, ridiculous decision making. I can't think of a worst project in HE/HA's history. Anyone?

I dunno what about putting the Wetherby bypass in the wrong place?

[Roadmeister17]

I know what you mean about the Wetherby bypass...


In its current form as A1(M) it hugs the alignment of the original d/c route which opened in late 1959 - and which must have been quite something in its day !

I did wonder when the old roundabout was taken out between 1986/1988 whether the opportunity would be taken to rebuild the bypass significantly offline - but it was not to be, ( maybe due to the proximity of Wetherby Grange ? ).
On the current O/S Landranger 105 York sheet, the A1(M) between junctions 45 & 46 - the bypass section - the blue line has a thin line down the middle, as per dual carriageways. I queried this with O/S and they said that it was because of the unusual degree of curvature on this section.

ROADMEISTER 17

[Robert Kilcoyne]

I know what you mean about the Wetherby bypass...


In its current form as A1(M) it hugs the alignment of the original d/c route which opened in late 1959 - and which must have been quite something in its day !

I did wonder when the old roundabout was taken out between 1986/1988 whether the opportunity would be taken to rebuild the bypass significantly offline - but it was not to be, ( maybe due to the proximity of Wetherby Grange ? ).
On the current O/S Landranger 105 York sheet, the A1(M) between junctions 45 & 46 - the bypass section - the blue line has a thin line down the middle, as per dual carriageways. I queried this with O/S and they said that it was because of the unusual degree of curvature on this section.

ROADMEISTER 17

I think that Wetherby racecourse would also be a significant factor. The A1(M) is on a raised embankment very close to the western perimeter of the racecourse.

[wrinkly]

I think that Wetherby racecourse would also be a significant factor. The A1(M) is on a raised embankment very close to the western perimeter of the racecourse.

I think the last upgrade in the area, when the A1 became A1(M) adjacent to Wetherby, took some land from the actual course, requiring the west end to be realigned and making the course a bit shorter.

In this view across the hard shoulder the course is immediately behind the solid wooden fence.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.93397 ... 312!8i6656

[darkcape]

It's purely a designer led cock-up to be. Someone presumably couldn't be bothered or forgot to include this in the design, then it evolved into some 'value for money' nonsense to save face.

It'll haunt Highways England, but you can't force a contractor to do something outside of the agreed drawings, otherwise you've just made them liable for all sorts of problems.

Someone mentioned a comment from 2015 that the lane drop was designed to stay - surely this was far enough in advance to sort the problem out then?
Obviously now, the scheme has overran and is most likely over-budget - there will be no more money left in the pot for the resurfacing which would be an additional instruction to the contractors.

So a bit of hydro-blasting is utterly impossible to organise and there are absolutely no other patches of black anywhere else on the network that don't have removed markings?

Extremely weak and unconvincing excuse from whoever sorted this one out TBH.

Case in point being smart motorways where all the TM markings are permanently scarred onto the carriageway.

To hydroblast such a large section would look awful. Some (not all) of the Smart Motorways contractors have made efforts to keep schemes looking tidy, the M1 sections are all being temporarily studded during narrow lanes on the new surface course, before the TM is lifted and permanent lining installed - a fairly clean solution, although of course temporary studs don't last long.

[Bryn666]

Definitely not all, the M60/M62 will look awful, as does the West Yorkshire length.

It seems very odd that when you've mobilised all the TM and plant that resurfacing isn't even considered. Some parts of the M60 now has a wearing course dating back to it being widened to four lanes in the early 90s and it shows.

[AndyB]

To be clear, there is nothing to prevent Highways England from agreeing a price for the main contractor to do the work as a variation to the main schemes except how much extra money they are willing to commit to it.

[A9NWIL]

Someone should paint some male appendages over the two lane section, it'll be resurfaced and repainted within the hour. Works for potholes, anyway.

I guess if the 'graffitee' cant be removed easily then I can see it being done! Someone would have to risk their life to do so on what is now a motorway! It would also need to be big enough, perhaps it would be better for some cans of white paint, of a type that would be very hard to remove from the road surface, just dropped from the back of a vehicle? Ones that were open so that they immediately spilt all over the carriageway.

[Bryn666]

Of course if people damaged the carriageway in such a manner the response of HE would be to reinstate existing at the expense of the person who did it. So that would achieve sweet FA.

[Hdeng16]

Of course if people damaged the carriageway in such a manner the response of HE would be to reinstate existing at the expense of the person who did it. So that would achieve sweet FA.

Having said that I wonder if we could crowd fund the resurfacing? Really embarrass HE then in a legal way

[Berk]

Of course if people damaged the carriageway in such a manner the response of HE would be to reinstate existing at the expense of the person who did it. So that would achieve sweet FA.

Having said that I wonder if we could crowd fund the resurfacing? Really embarrass HE then in a legal way

I think writing to an MP would be much cheaper...

[Repmobile]

Just a bit of advance notice, the Local Access Road bridge over the A1 at Catterick North will be closed 24 hours per day for three weeks from 20th November. The closure is apparently for ‘new surfacing works’. This in effect splits the local access road into two parts (that is, if Fort Bridge manages to re-open by the forecast ‘Mid November’ – if not it makes the LAR split into 3 parts!).

Also, from today’s e-mail update for the L2B team:

''Scotch Corner surfacing works are progressing and remain a priority for completion of the scheme. Our focus over the next week, however, will be surfacing works on the A1 itself and this means that we cannot continue with these works at Scotch Corner until 5th November''.

[Mikeg]

Just a bit of advance notice, the Local Access Road bridge over the A1 at Catterick North will be closed 24 hours per day for three weeks from 20th November. The closure is apparently for ‘new surfacing works’. This in effect splits the local access road into two parts (that is, if Fort Bridge manages to re-open by the forecast ‘Mid November’ – if not it makes the LAR split into 3 parts!).

Also, from today’s e-mail update for the L2B team:

''Scotch Corner surfacing works are progressing and remain a priority for completion of the scheme. Our focus over the next week, however, will be surfacing works on the A1 itself and this means that we cannot continue with these works at Scotch Corner until 5th November''.

Does that mean they only have one surfacing team?