A1 Western bypass widening

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Osthagen
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Osthagen »

Looks like the A1 Western Bypass will soon be of better standard than the adjoining motorway!
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KeithW
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by KeithW »

McNessA720 wrote:Looks like the A1 Western Bypass will soon be of better standard than the adjoining motorway!
Given that the motorway has changed purpose and designation that is hardly surprising. Last time I drove it the surface condition was poor and breaking up and the lane markings very worn, even the Armco Central Barrier looked rusty in places. I believe some resurfacing work started in 2015 so this may be better now.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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KeithW wrote:
McNessA720 wrote:Looks like the A1 Western Bypass will soon be of better standard than the adjoining motorway!
Given that the motorway has changed purpose and designation that is hardly surprising. Last time I drove it the surface condition was poor and breaking up and the lane markings very worn, even the Armco Central Barrier looked rusty in places. I believe some resurfacing work started in 2015 so this may be better now.
How has the A1(M) changed? It's always been the A1(M). I haven't noticed any surfacing issues.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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I haven't noticed any surfacing issues either…

I was last there around July.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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McNessA720 wrote:I haven't noticed any surfacing issues either…

I was last there around July.
If we are playing A1(M) top trumps I was there this morning ;)
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by KeithW »

Mark Hewitt wrote:
KeithW wrote:
McNessA720 wrote:Looks like the A1 Western Bypass will soon be of better standard than the adjoining motorway!
Given that the motorway has changed purpose and designation that is hardly surprising. Last time I drove it the surface condition was poor and breaking up and the lane markings very worn, even the Armco Central Barrier looked rusty in places. I believe some resurfacing work started in 2015 so this may be better now.
How has the A1(M) changed? It's always been the A1(M). I haven't noticed any surfacing issues.
By adjoining motorway I assumed he was referring to the A194(M)
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Osthagen
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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KeithW wrote: By adjoining motorway I assumed he was referring to the A194(M)
Ah, but the A194(M) doesn't really join the A1 Western Bypass, does it?

I mean that in the sense that in order for one to get from the A1 Western Bypass (southbound), they would have to leave at J65 for the B1288 & then join the A194(M) at J1.
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Glenn A
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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Another thing, I often wonder, if when the A1 was diverted through the Tyne Tunnel, the government could have opted for a D3M, with a second Tyne Tunnel, in the eighties on this route to make it more attractive to long distance traffic. Also part of the western by pass could have been built as far as the Denton roundabout to relieve west Newcastle of the A69 and this road could have been classified as A69.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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McNessA720 wrote:
KeithW wrote: By adjoining motorway I assumed he was referring to the A194(M)
Ah, but the A194(M) doesn't really join the A1 Western Bypass, does it?

I mean that in the sense that in order for one to get from the A1 Western Bypass (southbound), they would have to leave at J65 for the B1288 & then join the A194(M) at J1.
Sure but northbound you just stay on the right hand lane.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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Glenn A wrote:Another thing, I often wonder, if when the A1 was diverted through the Tyne Tunnel, the government could have opted for a D3M, with a second Tyne Tunnel, in the eighties on this route to make it more attractive to long distance traffic.
Welcome to Britain where governments time & time again have been adverse to building proper infrastructure.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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jackal wrote:The Birtley to Coalhouse preferred route has been announced - option 1a, which puts a new railway bridge south of the existing one. The rejected option, 1b, would have replaced the existing bridge at the current location.
So, they're building a new bridge and then demolishing the old one?

I may be missing something here, but this seems like an odd decision. Wouldn't it have been cheaper to build a new bridge for northbound traffic only, and continue using the existing bridge for southbound traffic?
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by jackal »

As wrinkly mentioned on p. 1, it has subsidence issues.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by KeithW »

Glenn A wrote:Another thing, I often wonder, if when the A1 was diverted through the Tyne Tunnel, the government could have opted for a D3M, with a second Tyne Tunnel, in the eighties on this route to make it more attractive to long distance traffic. Also part of the western by pass could have been built as far as the Denton roundabout to relieve west Newcastle of the A69 and this road could have been classified as A69.
At the time there was only a single Tyne Tunnel which was an S2 so D3M would have been completely over the top, the second bore did not open until 2011 18 years the Western Bypass had opened. The Tyne Tunnel was always seen as an interim solution that became necessary when the central motorway plans were axed.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Orillion »

There are plans to widen the A1 to three lanes between the A1(M) and Coal House, and there is a suggestion of widening
to three lanes between Denton and North Brunton, albeit with narrow lanes:

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... h-brunton/

In the absence of anything better, I suppose we should welcome the proposals, but I am concerned about the Blaydon Bridge,
which has not been mentioned. Is it to remain with only two lanes each way? Would it be technically possible to widen the
bridge? Is there any point in widening the road if the bridge is left alone?
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by wrinkly »

As far as I can see there are no current proposals to widen it.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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Orillion wrote:There are plans to widen the A1 to three lanes between the A1(M) and Coal House, and there is a suggestion of widening
to three lanes between Denton and North Brunton, albeit with narrow lanes.
Given that soon, the D2M Washington-Barton section of A1(M) is going to be bordered on either side by D3 in some form, isn't it about time that upgrading the aforementioned A1(M) to D3M should be considered? They should start with the section north of J62.

Upgrading the full Scotch Corner-Washington section was on the cards at one point.

The plan from around 1990 to 1997/8 was to have a full D3M A1 between the M25 & Tyneside. This involved upgrading all non-motorway A1 between Baldock (near Stevenage) & Scotch Corner to D3M & all D2M on the A1(M) to be widened so to have an extra lane. Only small parts of the scheme were built before New Labour pretty much abolished all pre-existing road plans.

EDIT: Parts of my post made no sense.
Last edited by Osthagen on Thu Oct 12, 2017 13:49, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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Orillion wrote:There are plans to widen the A1 to three lanes between the A1(M) and Coal House, and there is a suggestion of widening
to three lanes between Denton and North Brunton...
...but I am concerned about the Blaydon Bridge, which has not been mentioned.
Is it to remain with only two lanes each way? Would it be technically possible to widen the
bridge? Is there any point in widening the road if the bridge is left alone?
We were discussing this back in late June, a bit after the HA announcements about Denton - Brunton, and I suggested that there had been something mentioned somewhere about removing the north facing slips at J73. I still haven't found anything official - does anyone else remember it coming up?

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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

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McNessA720 wrote:
Orillion wrote:There are plans to widen the A1 to three lanes between the A1(M) and Coal House, and there is a suggestion of widening
to three lanes between Denton and North Brunton, albeit with narrow lanes.
Given that soon, the D2M Washington-Barton section of A1(M) is going to be bordered on either side by D3 in some form, isn't it about time that upgrading the aforementioned A1(M) section be upgraded to D3M should be considered? They should start with the section north of J62.
Certainly! It's not the most congested stretch of motorway by any means, but going to D3/D3M North of Durham to link up with the current D3M at Chester-le-Street would make sense as that's a busy stretch.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Glenn A »

McNessA720 wrote:
Glenn A wrote:Another thing, I often wonder, if when the A1 was diverted through the Tyne Tunnel, the government could have opted for a D3M, with a second Tyne Tunnel, in the eighties on this route to make it more attractive to long distance traffic.
Welcome to Britain where governments time & time again have been adverse to building proper infrastructure.
It would still have made sense, as reclassifying the A108 as A1 in 1978 was a move to keep traffic away from Newcastle. Maybe ditching the tolls on the Tyne Tunnel as well would have meant long distance traffic would have used the Tyne Tunnel route, and the western by pass would merely be a relief road for Denton Rd and end at Denton Square, saving communities like West Denton and Blakelaw being cut in half.
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Re: A1 Western bypass widening

Post by Mark Hewitt »

Glenn A wrote:
McNessA720 wrote:
Glenn A wrote:Another thing, I often wonder, if when the A1 was diverted through the Tyne Tunnel, the government could have opted for a D3M, with a second Tyne Tunnel, in the eighties on this route to make it more attractive to long distance traffic.
Welcome to Britain where governments time & time again have been adverse to building proper infrastructure.
It would still have made sense, as reclassifying the A108 as A1 in 1978 was a move to keep traffic away from Newcastle. Maybe ditching the tolls on the Tyne Tunnel as well would have meant long distance traffic would have used the Tyne Tunnel route, and the western by pass would merely be a relief road for Denton Rd and end at Denton Square, saving communities like West Denton and Blakelaw being cut in half.
That still could be the case. With the work going on to grade seperate Silverlink the A19 would be a decent alternative to using the A1, for traffic starting South of Washington - there's just the small matter of the £1.70 each way toll meaning I for one tend to stick to the A1 if at all possible.
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