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It was quite reasonable for my hon. Friend Chi Onwurah to try to find out exactly what the Chief Secretary has announced about the A1, so I will try again. Is he making a commitment to the dualling of the A1 from Newcastle to the Scottish border? If so, when will the work start? If he is not making that commitment, what is he announcing today?
I am committing to undertaking the improvements that are necessary to bring that road up to a proper standard. There is clearly the need for a detailed feasibility study to consider precisely what is needed at every stage of the route. The money is set aside for that investment between now and 2020, so it will take place.
Mr Alexander's words read like the announcement is not of construction but of a detailed study, some time in the next seven years. As you were, then.
This road has been studied to death for decades now. Perhaps they should get off their arse and actually do something. So before 2020 we'll get a report saying it needs dualling, which will get filed in bin, which does nothing for those who use the road.
At the very least they should dual Morpeth to Felton, this had gone beyond feasibility and all the way to a preferred route and a planned start date of works, before it inevitably got cancelled. I should be relatively easy to reactivate that scheme.
Mark Hewitt wrote:This road has been studied to death for decades now. Perhaps they should get off their arse and actually do something.
Oh no, that's not the attitude from the major consultancies, all of whom will now be jockeying for position in the "Buggins turn next" DfT approach to design studies. There's been a significant government announcement of £many billions for road projects, and the consultancies are determined that this money will go to THEM. Not spent on nasty things like earthmoving or concrete.
At the very least they should dual Morpeth to Felton, this had gone beyond feasibility and all the way to a preferred route and a planned start date of works, before it inevitably got cancelled. I should be relatively easy to reactivate that scheme.
"Oh NO, minister, we can't possibly use that old information, we have to work with current information, OF COURSE. That's why I asked you to this little lunch, so we consulting experts can explain this. All sorts of things could have happened, standards change, old surveys done poorly, missing documents all that. And anyway, that stuff was done by a different consultancy and we don't touch one another's drawings. So we'll be doing the surveys and drawings from scratch. Another bottle of champagne, minister ?"
Dualling the A1 is the wrong thing here - look at the route understand the traffic patterns is a must and then look at how a road improvement could be used to open up certain areas in the borders. A road following the A1 ? it would be longer and it would be limited in what it would serve. However if you looked at running the road into the borders and around there you would really open up that area - and it would make the area much more.
What would you do though with the numbering ? A19 for the old A1 and then run the A1 up the new alignment ? Leave the A1 as is and rename the new alignment as the A1(M) cant do that why ? the A3 and the A3(M) do it.....
its an interesting thought and one that opens up a whole new line of thought. Why have the A1 where it is when you could reroute it and serve a lot more traffic needs.
Gav wrote:Dualling the A1 is the wrong thing here - look at the route understand the traffic patterns is a must and then look at how a road improvement could be used to open up certain areas in the borders. A road following the A1 ? it would be longer and it would be limited in what it would serve. However if you looked at running the road into the borders and around there you would really open up that area - and it would make the area much more.
What would you do though with the numbering ? A19 for the old A1 and then run the A1 up the new alignment ? Leave the A1 as is and rename the new alignment as the A1(M) cant do that why ? the A3 and the A3(M) do it.....
its an interesting thought and one that opens up a whole new line of thought. Why have the A1 where it is when you could reroute it and serve a lot more traffic needs.
Generally along the A697 and A68? I'd prefer to keep that route to myself!
The A697 or A68 is often mentioned but it will never happen. There's no dual already in place and the terrain is difficult. If you are going to get D2 between Newcastle and Edinburgh it's the A1, or nothing.
Hey its not the rockies or the alps were talking about here.
Look at a map of that area and see where a road would have the most impact and provide more return. Link the road in through the borders and provide a high quality link to those communities - by doing this you open up those areas - as those that live in these areas will testify going anywhere outwith the area takes a lot of time. They are building a new railway into the borders. thats infrastructure. so whats to stop them building a decent road or even a motorway ? If done right they could relieve the newcastle bypass and that would be great.
You're right about it not being the rockies or the Alps, but the costs will be a lot higher to upgrade that route than the existing A1, which has several sections already upgraded, and is mostly flat.
I know it might lead to some demolition of houses, but the western by pass should be D3M. It's clear a D2 was a shortsighted decision that has made this road congested, unpleasant and stressful to drive on. Indeed the whole A1 from Birtley to Seaton Burn should be a motorway.
c2R wrote:You're right about it not being the rockies or the Alps, but the costs will be a lot higher to upgrade that route than the existing A1, which has several sections already upgraded, and is mostly flat.
Had none of the A1 been upgraded then there might have been a case for dualling the A697 as it's a good 10 miles shorter but as things stand it's far cheaper to dual the remaining A1 sections than starting from scratch with the A697.
From a personal point of view I like the A697 the way it is. It's a much nicer drive than the A1 where you can really get some speed up and overtake all the dawdlers.
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
Glenn A wrote:I know it might lead to some demolition of houses, but the western by pass should be D3M. It's clear a D2 was a shortsighted decision that has made this road congested, unpleasant and stressful to drive on. Indeed the whole A1 from Birtley to Seaton Burn should be a motorway.
Easier to upgrade White Mare Pool - Seaton Burn via the Tyne Tunnel, and if merely fully grade-separated, and signed as the way to go around Newcastle for Morpeth and the NORTH, then the Western bypass should work a lot better and houses don't need demolition (nor junctions closed).
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Glenn A wrote:I know it might lead to some demolition of houses, but the western by pass should be D3M. It's clear a D2 was a shortsighted decision that has made this road congested, unpleasant and stressful to drive on. Indeed the whole A1 from Birtley to Seaton Burn should be a motorway.
Easier to upgrade White Mare Pool - Seaton Burn via the Tyne Tunnel, and if merely fully grade-separated, and signed as the way to go around Newcastle for Morpeth and the NORTH, then the Western bypass should work a lot better and houses don't need demolition (nor junctions closed).
This was, of course, the A1 for 13 years even if most signs at the time suggested the road still went through Newcastle. However, the main stumbling block to people using the A19 is the tolls.
The western bypass does need upgrading but it isn't a matter of a few houses. It runs in a cutting, an embankment, and bridge. Incredibly expensive and destructive to widen.
One of the junctions on the western bypass recently had D3 squeezed beneath it using narrowish lanes. I'm sure it could be applied to all the junctions making it D3 throughout without any lane drops.
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
My money would be on leaving the western bypass and taking the strategic traffic onto a more direct route east of Newcastle - D3M to the Tyne, D3 (managed) tunnels without any loops, then D3 north of the tunnel to meet the existing A1 at North Gosforth - limited number of junctions to discourage non strategic use, then look at a more locally focused upgrades to junctions on the existing western bypass - bingo, £2bn