Not a bad shout, to be honest if we're going down a route of fixing it properly I'd scrap the A1231 loop and end up with something like this:jackal wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:08An A1 to A194(M) freeflow left turn could be provided pretty simply.jabbaboy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 00:05I honestly wouldn't have a clue, the junction is a complete mess and the complete lack of A1/A194(M) is needed as badly as much as anything else to effectively complete the Newcastle / Gateshead ring. It's a bit of a chore right now, to the stage it's quicker go through Gateshead at certain times of the day.jackal wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:04
An exotic possibility would be a left turn from A1(M) southbound (just after the current A1231 diverge) to run parallel with the A194(M) under the A1231 bridge - there's just about space if the A194(M) nb shifts a couple of metres right. This link road would then loop around to briefly run parallel to the B1288, then bypass Foxpond roundabout, merging into the A1231 eastbound. This would be lowspeed freeflow (loop radius approx 50m). The only new bridge would be an accommodation bridge for Auld Brothers Auto Dismantlers inside the loop.
More realistically, the roundabout could be reconstructed as a signalised crossroads, with loads of green time for the A1231. A big improvement on the current rbt, which is effectively three signalised junctions for the dominant movement in a ridiculously compressed space.
It doesn't help the A1(M) / A194(M) is really well built, but as a result takes up so much space. It'd be interesting what the busiest flows there are as I wouldn't be surprised if the A1 <> A1231 is up there with one of the highest.
A194(M) to A1 could take off and land inside the big mainline flares, with offside diverge and merge, and ~75m radius (the same as the A1231 loop).
While an offside diverge and merge is not ideal, I think it's excusable where you are effectively providing a continuous Newcastle/Gateshead orbital. Also the current rebuild has a double lane gain on the northbound A1 from the A1231, which really isn't needed, so it would be quite tidy to have one of the lanes coming from the A194(M) instead, even if from the right.
The weaving lengths on the A194(M) would be about 700m on both carriageways. While fancy arrangements would be possible, I'd simply suggest widening to three lanes up to the next junction, with lane gain and drop at each end. There's much worse weaving elsewhere on the 'orbital' and this bit of the A194(M) would not be hugely busy even with the new links (currently it's only 25k AADT). As noted, there's space for widening under the A1231 bridge.
Has it ever been proposed to provide direct A1<>A194(M) links? They seem a pretty glaring omission.
Fixes all the issues and gives a decent free flow for the main routes ie. A1(N) - A1231 and the A1 to A194(M) in both directions.
Not sure if it would be too tight with the A194/A1231 bridging though.