A1 Western bypass widening

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SarahJ
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A1 Western bypass widening

Post by SarahJ »

Seems it will be longer than first thought and involve a CD lane

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-27171806
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Mark Hewitt
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

Interesting. I wonder where they are going to find the space around Lady Park?
Bomag
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Bomag »

It's taken a bit of time to announce this change. They just managed to sneak it before Purdah!
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Conekicker
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Conekicker »

The northbound from the A184 to the Metro Centre is already 3 lanes, so not much works being done on that bit?
Patience is not a virtue - it's a concept invented by the dozy beggars who are unable to think quickly enough.
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Achmelvic
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Achmelvic »

Are there any more detailed plans for this kicking about anywhere?

I'm assuming it will need a fair few new overbridges? 1 year to do that on a live, and very busy, road seems optimist or am I missing something?
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wrinkly
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by wrinkly »

This was on the HA website on Thursday:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/press-r ... e-widened/

but I didn't bother mentioning it because it seemed to be a reannouncement:

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... 46#p691046

This is an extension at both ends of the original Lobley Hill scheme discussed here:

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... =1&t=31464

not to be confused with the local authority scheme:

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... =1&t=32407

There does not yet seem to be any detail on the extensions. The original scheme was the subject of a second exhibition soon after the first announcement of the extensions:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-p ... provement/

but I don't think the exhibition covered the extensions.

I mentioned here that the HA's recently published business plan has it starting this summer, but the extensions make that seem doubtful.
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wrinkly
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by wrinkly »

The Lobley Hill widening, as extended at both ends, is to be known as Coal House to Metro Centre.

HA web page here.

Exhibitions to be held 18 & 19 July.

Exhibition leaflet will be on the website in due course.
Glenn A
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Glenn A »

Really this should have been a D3 M when it was built. It's a road I tend to avoid in the North East, should I go to Tynemouth I always use the Coast Road, and a visit to Alnwick Castle next week will involve me going via Belsay and Morpeth( probably have lunch in Morpeth).
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Mark Hewitt
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

Glenn A wrote:Really this should have been a D3 M when it was built. It's a road I tend to avoid in the North East, should I go to Tynemouth I always use the Coast Road, and a visit to Alnwick Castle next week will involve me going via Belsay and Morpeth( probably have lunch in Morpeth).
Remember when it was built it was just a distributor road to take you to the Scotswood bridge. Through traffic was still expected to use the Tunnel.

But certainly when the Newcastle section was opened widening to D3 throughout should have happened then as the traffic levels were inevitable.
Glenn A
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Glenn A »

Mark Hewitt wrote:
Glenn A wrote:Really this should have been a D3 M when it was built. It's a road I tend to avoid in the North East, should I go to Tynemouth I always use the Coast Road, and a visit to Alnwick Castle next week will involve me going via Belsay and Morpeth( probably have lunch in Morpeth).
Remember when it was built it was just a distributor road to take you to the Scotswood bridge. Through traffic was still expected to use the Tunnel.

But certainly when the Newcastle section was opened widening to D3 throughout should have happened then as the traffic levels were inevitable.
Well it took the number A1, which upped its importance. Also since you have to pay to use the Tyne Tunnel, I can see why the NWB became so popular. Also the by pass did take pressure off Silver Lonnen and Ponteland Rd.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by GC_NEMan1 »

It's a pity it doesn't do anything about one of the worst bottlenecks -- the Allerdene Bridge over the East Coast Main Line between the A167 and the Coalhouse Roundabout.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by M19 »

At the end of the day it odes seem to be cherrypicking, in terms of fixing the easiest section so that the money allocated goes further than it would at other sections. Here its about maximising impact but it is questionable whether it will ease traffic as well as a more radical scheme could. I do suspect that the use of narrow lanes which is likely, as done already under the Dunston Junction shows how value engineered improvements are these days.
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Mark Hewitt
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

Yup it all has to be done down to a cost. I do wonder if there's going to be narrow lanes if it will end up with SPECS as the
50mph limit is widely ignored.
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wrinkly
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by wrinkly »

GC_NEMan1 wrote:It's a pity it doesn't do anything about one of the worst bottlenecks -- the Allerdene Bridge over the East Coast Main Line between the A167 and the Coalhouse Roundabout.
That's prone to subsidence and may have to be replaced anyway.
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nowster
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by nowster »

M19 wrote:...shows how value engineered improvements are these days.
One assumes that's a euphemism for "done on the cheap"?
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by M19 »

nowster wrote:
M19 wrote:...shows how value engineered improvements are these days.
One assumes that's a euphemism for "done on the cheap"?
Quite, yes!
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Mark Hewitt
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

wrinkly wrote:
GC_NEMan1 wrote:It's a pity it doesn't do anything about one of the worst bottlenecks -- the Allerdene Bridge over the East Coast Main Line between the A167 and the Coalhouse Roundabout.
That's prone to subsidence and may have to be replaced anyway.
Good opportunity to upgrade to three lanes. Or will that be value engineered too?
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wrinkly
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by wrinkly »

Is this the correct thread for the current widening at Gateshead?

Today I made my first visit to these works by extending one of my regular visits to Leeming-Barton.

A few years ago we marvelled at how they managed to squeeze 3 lanes under the northbound span of the bridge at Dunston. Today they have, under that span, two lanes northbound, one southbound, and a temporary barrier to separate them - facilitated by a temporary speed limit that reduces in that area from 40 to 30.

Works coming on quite well, though I still can't get over the bizarre anti-CD roads.
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Mark Hewitt
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

They've got a kind of CD arrangement going on Southbound. After the Metro Centre the left hand lane can be used for the A184 and Lobley Hill and the right hand lane is A1 only to the end of the works.
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jackal
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by jackal »

New HA page about an improvement to the adjacent section of the bypass:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-p ... -Coalhouse

This page is coy about what the improvement involves, but as is often the case the RIS (part 2, p. 32) was more forthcoming:
A1 Birtley to Coal House – online
widening of the A1 south of Gateshead
to three lanes. Alongside this
enhancement, a separate maintenance
scheme will replace and improve the
Allerdene Bridge. Linking with the existing
Coal House to Metro Centre scheme, this
will provide three lanes of capacity from
the Metro Centre to the A194(M)
interchange.
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