The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.
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Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:13
Dualling all of the A1 to the English border, tied in with dualling the A1 to Morpeth. It's awful that most of Edinburgh's links with England are S2, with the A1 turning from a decent D2 to an old fashioned S2 at Dunbar.
Another one, Ayr by pass should be D2, it's odd that the A77 suddenly turns into an S2 when it reaches the Ayr by pass. Then as well on this road of two halves, by passes for Maybole and Girvan.
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:13
Dualling all of the A1 to the English border, tied in with dualling the A1 to Morpeth. It's awful that most of Edinburgh's links with England are S2, with the A1 turning from a decent D2 to an old fashioned S2 at Dunbar.
Another one, Ayr by pass should be D2, it's odd that the A77 suddenly turns into an S2 when it reaches the Ayr by pass. Then as well on this road of two halves, by passes for Maybole and Girvan.
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
Wrong answer:
Dalkeith - Ponteland is 89 miles of which none is dualled
Dunbar - Ellingham is 52 miles of which about 10 miles is already dualled
A1 dualling Felton - Morpeth would need doing anyway even if the A68 were fully dualled.
So although you end up with a slightly shorter route via the A68 it has cost you twice as much money, is less weatherproof and has much greater environmental impact through the centre of the national park.
Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:13
Dualling all of the A1 to the English border, tied in with dualling the A1 to Morpeth. It's awful that most of Edinburgh's links with England are S2, with the A1 turning from a decent D2 to an old fashioned S2 at Dunbar.
Another one, Ayr by pass should be D2, it's odd that the A77 suddenly turns into an S2 when it reaches the Ayr by pass. Then as well on this road of two halves, by passes for Maybole and Girvan.
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
If we were starting from scratch then dualling the A68/A696 between Edinburgh and Newcastle would be the preferred option rather than the A1, but as things stand the A1 is probably more likely to be upgraded given that much of it is dualled already whereas only a short stretch of the A68/A696 route is dualled at Newcastle. It was a mistake to detrunk the route through Northumberland when it is the direct route between Edinburgh and Newcastle and also because of the fact that on the Scottish side it is a trunk road.
Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:13
Dualling all of the A1 to the English border, tied in with dualling the A1 to Morpeth. It's awful that most of Edinburgh's links with England are S2, with the A1 turning from a decent D2 to an old fashioned S2 at Dunbar.
Another one, Ayr by pass should be D2, it's odd that the A77 suddenly turns into an S2 when it reaches the Ayr by pass. Then as well on this road of two halves, by passes for Maybole and Girvan.
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
If we were starting from scratch then dualling the A68/A696 between Edinburgh and Newcastle would be the preferred option rather than the A1, but as things stand the A1 is probably more likely to be upgraded given that much of it is dualled already whereas only a short stretch of the A68/A696 route is dualled at Newcastle. It was a mistake to detrunk the route through Northumberland when it is the direct route between Edinburgh and Newcastle and also because of the fact that on the Scottish side it is a trunk road.
I'd like to see a motorway following the A68-A696 route, but...
Of the two, most of the A1 could probably be dualled by simply building another carriageway alongside the existing one, which is already good enough for driving at speed.
I doubt the same could be done with the A68-A696 which - although being a fun drive - is of pretty poor quality in many places. There's a rise at one point where I thought the car was going to take off .... there isn't anything like that on the A1!
Owain wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 18:12
I'd like to see a motorway following the A68-A696 route, but...
Of the two, most of the A1 could probably be dualled by simply building another carriageway alongside the existing one, which is already good enough for driving at speed.
It should be relatively straightforward to dual the current S2 A1, with two exceptions. The main issue would be the section between the Scottish border at Marshall Meadows and the turnoff for Burnmouth, where the A1 runs on a ledge above steep slopes leading down to the East Coast Main Line and the North Sea. That section would have to be dualled offline, with the current S2 A1 being retained for local access to Lamberton and Burnmouth. Online dualling of the A1 may also be difficult at Grantshouse as the current S2 is sandwiched between the village and the ECML.
Thankyou.
I did read above about a by pass in a tunnel for Langholm, nice idea and would look brilliant, but on cost grounds, it would be like another Millenium Dome, considering the southern section of the A7 is relatively quiet. I'd advocate a by pass of Selkirk and Galashiels, as this is where the A7 become noticeably busier and the two towns are close together. Hawick would be very difficult due to the hills, and isn't particularly busy, and has a ring road of sorts that avoids the town centre.
Galashiels is already bypassed as far as the Trunk Roads authority is concerned as the strategic route is to East to the A68. Selkirk is the only realistic prospect of a bypass on the A7.
Indeed and in fact driving to Hawick or Langholm from Edinburgh the recommended route is via the A68 followed by the A698 to Hawick, avoiding the A7 in Galashiels completely. Even for Galashiels or Selkirk the journey time difference between the A7 and the A68 is negligible. For much of its length the A7 is certainly more of a local road as long distance traffic from Edinburgh would take the A702/A74(M)/M6 route to Carlisle and would cut across from the A68 to reach many of the border towns that are on the A7, so it is unlikely that bypasses along the A7 would be a very high priority.
The A7 is advertised more like a tourist route than a major route from Carlisle to Edinburgh, and there is no indication at Greymoorhill that it is the direct route to Edinburgh as traffic is advised to use the motorway. South of Selkirk, traffic volumes on the A7 are light, with congestion rare, and the two problematic sections at Canonbie and Auchenrivock have long since been by passed. Also the A7 remains the only Ax road in Britain to have remained largely unaltered in the last 50 years, with the only significant improvements occuring near the English border and near the Edinburgh southern by pass.
Nwallace wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 17:38
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
Much as I love the A68 dualling it would be a massively expensive undertaking especially from Byrness north due to the terrain and the fact that it passes through sizable settlements such as Jedburgh, Lauder etc and even then its not going to be a reliable all weather road due to the altitude. Stick to the A1 for HGV's where most major towns have already been bypassed and dualling would be much cheaper.
Nwallace wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 17:38
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
Much as I love the A68 dualling it would be a massively expensive undertaking especially from Byrness north due to the terrain and the fact that it passes through sizable settlements such as Jedburgh, Lauder etc and even then its not going to be a reliable all weather road due to the altitude. Stick to the A1 for HGV's where most major towns have already been bypassed and dualling would be much cheaper.
Like the A7, the A68 remains mostly unmodernised since the sixties, except near Edinburgh, where traffic volumes are highest, and mostly remains a lightly trafficked road. Similarly the A696 north of Ponteland doesn't attract a huge amount of traffic, so has remained largely unaltered. HGVs from Edinburgh to Newcastle prefer the A1 in winter as it's less prone to snow, and this is where most improvements have occured.
Of course, a Dundee bypass was included in STPR1 and is yet to materialise in any way, but if it’s at least being considered for upgrade, then that’s something.
It's no surprise given that the A90 north of Aberdeen will have seen increased levels of traffic since the completion of the AWPR. Let's hope that the A90 does soon get upgraded as far as Peterhead as has been recommended. Who knows? That might even be followed by demand to improve the A952 shortcut to Fraserburgh.
orudge wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2019 09:26
Of course, a Dundee bypass was included in STPR1 and is yet to materialise in any way, but if it’s at least being considered for upgrade, then that’s something.
I'd have thought that would be high on the list of obvious priorities once the programme has digested the various current schemes.
Euan wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2019 21:15
It's no surprise given that the A90 north of Aberdeen will have seen increased levels of traffic since the completion of the AWPR. Let's hope that the A90 does soon get upgraded as far as Peterhead as has been recommended. Who knows? That might even be followed by demand to improve the A952 shortcut to Fraserburgh.
If it gets upgraded at all I can't see the need for it to be any further than the Toll of Birness. I'd also like to see Toll of Birness converted to a roundabout. It's a busy junction and it's a horrible layout.
Nwallace wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 17:38
Controversial statement time...
It would make more sense to dual the A68 as the most direct route to Newcastle.
From Edinburgh the A1's importance is only really for connecting East Lothian to the capital and for linking Berwick to it's shire.
I disagree mainly because it would be much more expensive and would be liable to winter blockages especially if you have a large number of HGV's on the route. The English side is doable up until Carter Bar but north of the border is a different story. The 58 miles to Edinburgh not only includes some challenging terrain but would require bypasses of Jedburgh, St Boswells, Earlston, Lauder and Pathhead. The remaining S2 sections of A1 would be much easier to dual and more resilient. For HGV traffic heading from Northern England the most dependable route to just about anywhere in Scotland except Edinburgh is the A66/M6/A74(M)/M74. This will be even more attractive once the remaining S2 sections of the A66 have been dualled.
As an aside the most direct route from Newcastle is the A696/A68
I've been using the A68 to get to Ponteland recently for a few cycle events as I've been borrowing a car that's charged per mile; the saving is 25 miles.
£6.50 cheaper!
I would suggest that they need to bring the Dundee Northern Bypass earlier in programme as once the two pedestrian crossing's on the Kingsway are switched on the hold ups will be horrendous .The A1 needs dualled to the border as it is an all weather route and the A75 needs various bypasses but design them for future dualling. The A92 through Fife needs attention again designed for future DC,
Motorways travelled 2019 - M90 - M9 - M80 - M8 -M77 - M73 -A74(M) -M6-M42-M40 -A404(M) - M4 - M5 -M50 -M56 much better so far than last year
Nwallace wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 21:04
I keep forgetting about the TOTSO at Otterburn.
I've been using the A68 to get to Ponteland recently for a few cycle events as I've been borrowing a car that's charged per mile; the saving is 25 miles.
£6.50 cheaper!
Nwallace wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 21:04
I keep forgetting about the TOTSO at Otterburn.
I've been using the A68 to get to Ponteland recently for a few cycle events as I've been borrowing a car that's charged per mile; the saving is 25 miles.
£6.50 cheaper!
B9127 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 20, 2019 22:09once the two pedestrian crossing's on the Kingsway are switched on the hold ups will be horrendous.
They won't have any net effect on vehicle travel times as the capacity constraint in that area are the signals at Forfar Road.
They will however, make it far safer for people to get to and from Caird Park.
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