A1 "east of England"

[TimM3-A55]

Interesting to note that D3M was proposed from Baldock to Biggleswade (isn't the existing A1(M) only D2M at this point?), and D2M north of Biggleswade.

The 1994 proposals there were produced as part of the short-lived policy to upgrade the whole of the A1 between the M25 and Newcastle to motorway, and in parallel there were other schemes being developed to upgrade non-motorway sections and also to widen many of the existing motorway parts. That included widening the motorway south of Baldock to D3M.

Is that when junction numbers appeared? I seem to remember old maps of the A1(M) don't have junction numbers on any section, I guess it never make scene until upgrading the whole route was considered.

[Chris Bertram]

Interesting to note that D3M was proposed from Baldock to Biggleswade (isn't the existing A1(M) only D2M at this point?), and D2M north of Biggleswade.

The 1994 proposals there were produced as part of the short-lived policy to upgrade the whole of the A1 between the M25 and Newcastle to motorway, and in parallel there were other schemes being developed to upgrade non-motorway sections and also to widen many of the existing motorway parts. That included widening the motorway south of Baldock to D3M.

Is that when junction numbers appeared? I seem to remember old maps of the A1(M) don't have junction numbers on any section, I guess it never make scene until upgrading the whole route was considered.

It would be, yes. The Welwyn/Hatfield section of the A1(M) was the first section to get numbers, probably because it was starting from 1 and that's easy, the other sections followed later, and all at the same time.

It used to be the case that most Ax(M) motorways didn't have numbers, but I see that even the A3(M) now has them. It now looks - apart from single-junction spurs - as if only very urban motorways like A38(M), A58(M) and A64(M) are without. Unless anyone knows better ...

[si404]

Is that when junction numbers appeared? I seem to remember old maps of the A1(M) don't have junction numbers on any section, I guess it never make scene until upgrading the whole route was considered.

A search through atlases suggests that between '87 and '91 the Herts section got junction numbers, but north of there was between '95 and '00.

[CallumParry]

I'm not botherd whatever happens on the A1 just as long as some sections through Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire get some major resurfacing and their lines and reflective markers fixed drove back from Central London to Middlesbrough via A1 , A1(M) and A168 (A19) on early hours of Sunday morning and parts of the road are horrendous i'd hate to be driving it at night in rain. i used it to avoid the M1 because i find with the roadworks and smart motorway scheme under construction in Northamptonshire it just makes that route more tedious to drive.

[wrinkly]

Stage 3 report now out:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... e-3-report

[sotonsteve]

Ooh, I see on page 8 there has been some renumbering. The M1 and M11 have swapped numbers on the map!

[jackal]

The report is fairly specific about the J10-14 motorway option ('package A'):

A new section of motorway to the west of the existing A1 non-motorway section, with downgrading of the existing route. It is assumed there would be two junctions on the new motorway section, and the route would comprise of three running lanes plus hard shoulder in each direction.

There are also some costings:

Package A Package B Package C
£1.69bn £1.14bn £0.63bn

Package B is for local upgrades, including grade separation of existing junctions, while C is minor changes around J3 and 4.

All costings include smart motorway on existing A1(M), I think as far north as J17. But the report does also mention possibly dropping package elements 'for which there is little justification (e.g. sections of smart motorway where there is little need to increase existing capacity)'.

[Chris5156]

The "study area" map includes junction numbers at 11, 12 and 13, which I find a bit odd - it implies that 11 is the A603, 12 is Black Cat and 13 St Neots - with no junction at the A14.

If so, they'll need to have a word with the lads starting work on the A14 this week because I think they're under the impression that there will be a junction at the A1...

[KeithW]

I'm not botherd whatever happens on the A1 just as long as some sections through Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire get some major resurfacing and their lines and reflective markers fixed drove back from Central London to Middlesbrough via A1 , A1(M) and A168 (A19) on early hours of Sunday morning and parts of the road are horrendous i'd hate to be driving it at night in rain. i used it to avoid the M1 because i find with the roadworks and smart motorway scheme under construction in Northamptonshire it just makes that route more tedious to drive.

Work is starting this week on resurfacing the section from Buckden to Brampton from this week with overnight closures and diversions along the A428 and A14 which will last until late December. I predict chaos at Caxton Gibbet.


http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/ca ... l-12219888

[c2R]

The "study area" map includes junction numbers at 11, 12 and 13, which I find a bit odd - it implies that 11 is the A603, 12 is Black Cat and 13 St Neots - with no junction at the A14.

If so, they'll need to have a word with the lads starting work on the A14 this week because I think they're under the impression that there will be a junction at the A1...

I think that yes, the study area map lets the side down - I can't believe there would be no junction at Biggleswade, while the A603 is a minor junction so could be accessed from the LAR, while the omission of the A14 junction and the swapping of the M1 and M11 numbers makes it look as if the people drawing up the document don't know what they're taking about - which is a shame as generally the content is very interesting.

[jackal]

The "study area" map includes junction numbers at 11, 12 and 13, which I find a bit odd - it implies that 11 is the A603, 12 is Black Cat and 13 St Neots - with no junction at the A14.

If so, they'll need to have a word with the lads starting work on the A14 this week because I think they're under the impression that there will be a junction at the A1...

I think that yes, the study area map lets the side down - I can't believe there would be no junction at Biggleswade, while the A603 is a minor junction so could be accessed from the LAR, while the omission of the A14 junction and the swapping of the M1 and M11 numbers makes it look as if the people drawing up the document don't know what they're taking about - which is a shame as generally the content is very interesting.

The route description I quoted above states that 'It is assumed there would be two junctions on the new motorway section'. This probably does not include either the old or new A14 junctions, nor Alconbury (south), as they will have been long open.

If there are really only two new junctions, they will be Black Cat (or its replacement) and one other (I would guess Biggleswade). But it's also possible that it means two intermediate junctions PLUS terminal junctions, in which case you could have one at Buckden, one at Black Cat, one at Biggleswade, and one at either Sandy or St Neots.

Even if it means only two genuinely new junctions, there are too many junctions for available numbers, i.e. there are 11, 12, and 13 to allocate and the following more-or-less guaranteed:

Alconbury (south)
A14 two-bridge roundabout
A14 freeflow
Black Cat (or replacement)
Second new junction (e.g. Biggleswade)

If two out of Buckden, Sandy and St Neots also get in on the act, which as I say is possible, we will probably see the junctions numbered as 10A, 11, 11A, 12, 12A, 13, and 13A.

[mapboy]

If two out of Buckden, Sandy and St Neots also get in on the act, which as I say is possible, we will probably see the junctions numbered as 10A, 11, 11A, 12, 12A, 13, and 13A.

If that were to happen, would it not simply be easier to shunt the numbers on the Alconbury section up to accomodate them (given it's only four junctions that'd need renumbering)?

[trickstat]

I would like to see an A603 junction as that is my first choice route if I need to go to Bedford as it probably is for many people from Welwyn GC to Biggleswade.

[wrinkly]

On Sep 22nd, c2r posted this link to a site that has links to the 1994 proposals, which don't have many junctions at all:

http://www.staploeduloehoneydonparishco ... ys-and-a1/

[ScottB5411]

Am I right in saying the A1(M) sections junctions were numbered by letters in the 80's? ISTR this from the AA books my dad used to get.

[wrinkly]

Those letters had no official status and were only shown on those AA maps, not on signs or other publishers' maps.

[thatapanydude]

I would like to see an A603 junction as that is my first choice route if I need to go to Bedford as it probably is for many people from Welwyn GC to Biggleswade.

Yes, the A603 has to be a junction on the A1(M), a lot of people use that when heading to Bedford and moreover onto the A421 towards MK to avoid black cat and the lengthy detour, one of the reasons why the A1 has such a low AADT(25,000 - 30,000) between sandy and black cat. Also with the A603 junction it will mean no free-flow links will be needed between A421(E) and A1(S) as well as A1(N) and A421(W) meaning something like the junction at catthorpe can be built at black cat.

With regards to other junctions, I suspect there will be on at Biggleswade south, quite obvious with the longabout being built. And if a link road is built to the B659(as shown) then there will be no need for a junction at Biggleswade north as there is suitable access to Langford, aswell as neighbouring villages surved by Biggleswade north.

[c2R]

I would have thought that any motorway upgrade plans would reduce the number of junctions on this stretch considerably, and use the old road in many places as a LAR, or construct a new build LAR alongside. Therefore, I'd see traffic to Bedford directed via the Black Cat and A421, with the A603 accessible via the LAR from Biggleswade, for example.

[jackal]

I expect that the recent report's reference to a route with two junctions is roughly in line with the 1994 plans linked by wrinkly/C2R.

Those plans show two new junctions, near Black Cat and Biggleswade. It is a bit ambiguous what was planned to happen at the northern end, and the map actually makes it look like it might have been stopped up with access only via the B1514 through Brampton. That would be very illogical, though, so my best guess would be that the old road would have come off the roundabout at Brampton Hut.

Back to the present, this would be rather expensive to do as the A14 is being built across that line. I think the solution will instead be to link the current A1 and future A1(M) north of Buckden - either a heavily modified version of the current B1514 GSJ, with the A1(M) mainline going through it, or a completely new GSJ in that area.

In short, I think the A1(M) would effectively have three new junctions, at Buckden, near Black Cat, and Biggleswade. Possibly the report's reference to two junctions simply fails to account for the new A14's impact in the Brampton area.

[Bryn666]

Given the famous lack of co-ordination with HE they've probably forgotten they're building the A14...