A1 to A1(M) Motorway Upgrades?

[Chris56000]

Hi!

Apart from the proposed A1 Darrington & A1(M) Doncaster S.M. upgrade, and the short A1 Alconbury–Brampton Hut upgrading (expected to become A1(M) once permission comes thro' from the S.O.S!), have we seen the last new–build A1(M) schemes for the forseeable future, or is it possible that "Phase 3" A1(M) Expressway upgrade schemes may follow on, e.g., for the Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire lengths?

I remember "Roads To Prosperity" saying that all future A1 schemes between Baldock & Scotch Corner originally planned as "All Purpose" would be replaced by schemes to Motorway Standard, and from Junction 40 to Scotch Corner this has now been fully completed!

Chris Williamso

PS!

I believe the A1(M) Baldock–Alconbury and A1(M) Peterboro'–Stamford were the last two that fell over just short of contracts being let in the Great 1997 Roads Cull, and believe that A1(M) Tuxford–Blyth was to come next in R–to–P after these two, am I correct?

[NICK 647063]

I suppose it all very much depends on the roll out of expressways, remember the A14 is been built as an expressway that’s why it’s now looking to become the A14(M), this of course means that on a map an expressway looks the same as a motorway as it was clearly stated the new planned expressways would be numbered A(M).....

So if the A1 is to become an expressway which I suspect it would then it’s likely to remain D2 between Blyth and Peterborough but have local access roads added and Junctions removed and limited to GSJ’s......

Now to me expressways are basically motorways on the cheap as they are built to a lower standard but on the map are full blown motorways..

So yes we could easily see more A1(M).

[roadtester]

There doesn't seem to be anything else in the pipeline but I wonder whether the advent of AX(M) expressways may encourage the powers that be to do more - the thinking being that they may no longer consider that a blue lane upgrade needs to be an all-singing, all-dancing D3M with full shoulders but could be more limited in scope.

[jackal]

Midlands Connect and Transport for the North have made some noises about motorwaying the Notts and Lincs sections. They've at least talked to each other about it but I don't think it's in either's current top priorities and wouldn't expect to see anything for a decade if at all.

Further south the full offline route seems to be dead but I was surprised how much they plan in terms of new local access roads either side of Black Cat. It could be that if major improvements emerge at the likes of Sandy or Buckden these will link into the Black Cat section for a new stretch of motorway.

Finally I think it would be possible to make the Newcastle and Gateshead bypass A1(M) pretty much as it is.

[KeithW]

The only work I can see anything happening on in the short term is closing some of the gaps and flat junctions south of Grantham particularly around the Pontons on safety grounds. Going full blue line would be very expensive and hard to justify given the traffic levels. As for the Newcastle Western Bypass I do not believe there is any prospect of it becoming a motorway in the short to medium term.

[c2R]

Red House to Darrington is on the future schemes list, although with no start date:
https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/ ... er-bypass/

[Gav]

Newcastle bypass ? this will become motorway a lot quicker than what you think. The chance to restrict traffic classes and make it motorway is something that they want to do. Bring the A1(M) north of the city.

[roadtester]

But in the case of the

As for the Newcastle Western Bypass I do not believe there is any prospect of it becoming a motorway in the short to medium term.

On the other hand, this would mostly just be a question of changing the colour of the signs.

More generally - as I've said on here before, I'm fascinated by the fact that it has taken us almost sixty years to convert about half of our traditionally most important national route to motorway, and I can just about see us completing the job over the next sixty by continuing in the same piecemeal stop/start fashion. What other country would take so long over such an important project? It's much more like building a cathedral which takes so long that the initiators of the project know they will never live long enough to see their plans realised in full.

That means that while the A1(M) may one day be blue-lined in full, it certainly won't be blue-lined to anything like a consistent standard, so it will still be highly varied and retain many points of curiosity, and therefore also its sabristic interest.

[danfw194]

The minimum that the sections in question should be upgraded to is expressway. As I've said a few times, although extra capacity and motorway regs would be best, upgrading to D2 expressway would at the very least eradicate a lot of safety issues on these stretches. Lots of the junctions are completely inadequate.

[A320Driver]

Is the offline upgrade for the Bedfordshire section officially off the cards now? I thought that it was part of the A1 East of England study, which I don’t think ruled it out although suggested it was unlikely to be taken forward.

[Stevie D]

But in the case of the

As for the Newcastle Western Bypass I do not believe there is any prospect of it becoming a motorway in the short to medium term.

On the other hand, this would mostly just be a question of changing the colour of the signs.

If the WestToon Bypass is changed from all-purpose to expressway/motorway, rather than upgraded, then that will mean that expressways and motorways have become completely meaningless. The road is already dangerously substandard, and it would be an absolute travesty if the road could be classified as a motorway with such horrifically narrow lanes and short merges/diverges. I understand that a motorway is purely a legal status and does not confer any particular standard of road, but even so, there have to be limits.

[roadtester]

But in the case of the

As for the Newcastle Western Bypass I do not believe there is any prospect of it becoming a motorway in the short to medium term.

On the other hand, this would mostly just be a question of changing the colour of the signs.

If the WestToon Bypass is changed from all-purpose to expressway/motorway, rather than upgraded, then that will mean that expressways and motorways have become completely meaningless. The road is already dangerously substandard, and it would be an absolute travesty if the road could be classified as a motorway with such horrifically narrow lanes and short merges/diverges. I understand that a motorway is purely a legal status and does not confer any particular standard of road, but even so, there have to be limits.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be upgraded - the enormous traffic jam I sat in the day before yesterday says otherwise!

Just that strictly speaking, it wouldn't take much to be able to put blue signs up.

[KeithW]

Is the offline upgrade for the Bedfordshire section officially off the cards now? I thought that it was part of the A1 East of England study, which I don’t think ruled it out although suggested it was unlikely to be taken forward.

Its never officially been on the cards, the last announcement from HE was that there is no current or planned scheme to upgrade the A1 in Bedfordshire. The study was made but nothing has been brought forwards.