Upgrading the A66 and A69

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KeithW
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by KeithW »

NICK 647063 wrote: Mon Nov 23, 2020 18:11
If we look at a fairly typical leg to Scotland the distance between Leeming Bar Services and Moto Southwaite is over 80 miles. In summer you will see a lot of caravanners on the A66 and HGV's use it all year round. A favourite stopping point for both is the Stainmore Cafe which is why I mentioned expanding that.
But if you are not counting Scotch Corner as it’s a rest area then you cannot include Leeming Bar as it’s also a rest area but also less facilities than Scotch corner and a longer diversion off the motorway, the only real services is Wetherby, Scotch corner was packed all summer and full of caravans even though not allowed, I think it makes sense to build a new Scotch corner that can take all traffic including HGV traffic, a huge designer village is to be built at Scotch corner on the A6055 LAR so maybe just relocate the services nearby, Scotch corner is ideal on such a busy junction but simply too small.
Note I was not suggesting Leeming Bar was good simply pointing that its there, if you discount it the distance between services increases considerably. At least Leeming Bar is off the junction and has space in which to expand which was supposed to have happened but seems to have been quietly forgotten. As for Scotch Corner once the designer village is built there there is not going to be a whole lot of space left even if building services and retail centres at the junction of 2 strategic roads was a good idea in the first place, which it is not in my opinion.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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Glenn A wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 15:01 This might have been changed since last year, but I notice as you drive into Newcastle on the A69, the original road lighting from 1976 is still in place with the orange sodium lighting, which contrasts with all the other lighting in the city that has been replaced. I wonder when this will change over to LED.
Already gone, https://goo.gl/maps/bjzGBhkHXKGGu43Z8. Been gone awhile though now was pre July 2015 it was done as that's when that Streetview is.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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KeithW wrote: Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:53 West of Bowes Moor the A66 is for the most part the boundary, this was chosen for convenience as it is well defined feature.
Agreed. It is one of my real bug bears that when AONB/National Parks use existing roads as a boundary, and then the existence of the NP/AONB is used as an argument to challenge the road upgrade. Or rail.

That said, I do feel that our protected areas are lacking, er, protection!
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KeithW
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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Micro The Maniac wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 06:36
KeithW wrote: Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:53 West of Bowes Moor the A66 is for the most part the boundary, this was chosen for convenience as it is well defined feature.
Agreed. It is one of my real bug bears that when AONB/National Parks use existing roads as a boundary, and then the existence of the NP/AONB is used as an argument to challenge the road upgrade. Or rail.

That said, I do feel that our protected areas are lacking, er, protection!
Its a balancing act and the extreme Nimby's confuse protection with preservation. To be fair there has been relatively little outright opposition to the A66 upgrade and the reaction to the consultation was pretty positive. The main feeling seems to have been 'Its about time this was fixed'
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by Glenn A »

jabbaboy wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 19:32
Glenn A wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 15:01 This might have been changed since last year, but I notice as you drive into Newcastle on the A69, the original road lighting from 1976 is still in place with the orange sodium lighting, which contrasts with all the other lighting in the city that has been replaced. I wonder when this will change over to LED.
Already gone, https://goo.gl/maps/bjzGBhkHXKGGu43Z8. Been gone awhile though now was pre July 2015 it was done as that's when that Streetview is.
No, this section was replaced several years ago, when Newcastle changed all its street lighting, but the section from the city boundary to the end of the Throckley by pass was still orange sodium last year.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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Glenn A wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 18:31
jabbaboy wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 19:32Already gone, https://goo.gl/maps/bjzGBhkHXKGGu43Z8. Been gone awhile though now was pre July 2015 it was done as that's when that Streetview is.
No, this section was replaced several years ago, when Newcastle changed all its street lighting, but the section from the city boundary to the end of the Throckley by pass was still orange sodium last year.
Are you sure? Streetview shows the new LED lighting from the A1 west to Blucher, and from there along the whole of the Throckley Bypass the A69 has no lighting. Which section still has orange sodium?
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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It seems the A66 project will be brought forward by a year, to start construction January 2024. Also the construction period will be reduced to 5 years.

The previous plans were to start construction in 2024-25 financial year with, apparently, a whopping 10 year construction period!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lancs. ... 667726.amp
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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jackal wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 08:58 It seems the A66 project will be brought forward by a year, to start construction January 2024. Also the construction period will be reduced to 5 years.

The previous plans were to start construction in 2024-25 financial year with, apparently, a whopping 10 year construction period!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lancs. ... 667726.amp
Presumably the previous time table involved upgrading sections consecutively instead of concurrently,
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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KeithW wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 09:40
jackal wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 08:58 It seems the A66 project will be brought forward by a year, to start construction January 2024. Also the construction period will be reduced to 5 years.

The previous plans were to start construction in 2024-25 financial year with, apparently, a whopping 10 year construction period!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lancs. ... 667726.amp
Presumably the previous time table involved upgrading sections consecutively instead of concurrently,
Blue Wall project. They want to show diggers on the ground by the next election.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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They are hoping to have Bridge End open by July. There will still be some landscaping and planting to finish then.

https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/ ... rovements/
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by KeithW »

roadtester wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:24
Blue Wall project. They want to show diggers on the ground by the next election.

Hexham is about as safe a Conservative Seat as they come, by the time the next General Election comes around they will have held the seat for 100 years, the last time the seat changed hands it was won by the liberals in 1923
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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KeithW wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 08:49
roadtester wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:24
Blue Wall project. They want to show diggers on the ground by the next election.

Hexham is about as safe a Conservative Seat as they come, by the time the next General Election comes around they will have held the seat for 100 years, the last time the seat changed hands it was won by the liberals in 1923
It's not just about one locality - its about wider connectivity in the North.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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roadtester wrote:
KeithW wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 08:49
roadtester wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:24
Blue Wall project. They want to show diggers on the ground by the next election.

Hexham is about as safe a Conservative Seat as they come, by the time the next General Election comes around they will have held the seat for 100 years, the last time the seat changed hands it was won by the liberals in 1923
It's not just about one locality - its about wider connectivity in the North.
Styford and Hexham are both a good idea. But the issue in connectivity of the A69 isn't down to those two roundabout it's the massive lengths of S2 which are heavily used by HGV traffic meaning that crossing the country using the A69 is a total slog.

For us in Durham going to the Glasgow area it's still the only realistic prospect but it's also one of the most frustrating parts of the journey as you always end up in a chain of traffic at 40mph.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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I've watched the video on the scheme page before but didn't notice until now that it shows the ADS for the roundabout still on the main carriageway.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by IanRB »

Was in Hexham at lunch time & the eastern bridge is in place and the western one looks complete and ready to put in place.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by the cheesecake man »

KeithW wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 08:49
roadtester wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:24
Blue Wall project. They want to show diggers on the ground by the next election.

Hexham is about as safe a Conservative Seat as they come, by the time the next General Election comes around they will have held the seat for 100 years, the last time the seat changed hands it was won by the liberals in 1923
True but voters in for example Sedgefield or Blyth driving to Carlisle should notice it... :stir:
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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the cheesecake man wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 14:00 True but voters in for example Sedgefield or Blyth driving to Carlisle should notice it... :stir:
Indeed it I hardly think its likely to change their voting habits.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

Post by Glenn A »

One section of the A69 that would be difficult to dual would be Greenhead to Haltwhistle, which has the railway on one side and houses on the other. I can imagine this staying S2 as the compensation costs to property owners would be high and some might refuse to move. Also the S2+1 sections between Haltwhistle and Haydon Bridge remove the need for dualling here.
My plans for the A69 would be to dual from Styford to the Haydon Bridge by pass, from Greenhead to the western end of the Brampton by pass with a by pass of Low Row, and an S2 by pass of Warwick Bridge.
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Re: Upgrading the A66 and A69

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KeithW wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 07:58
the cheesecake man wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 14:00 True but voters in for example Sedgefield or Blyth driving to Carlisle should notice it... :stir:
Indeed it I hardly think its likely to change their voting habits.
But of course stopping them changing their voting habits (back to Labour) is the idea, and a few voters less inclined to think "those Tories we switched to last time have ignored the North" might just make the difference.
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