A19
Route
"As a youngster I was always under the illusion that the A19 was all dual carriageway; I suppose this is because of all that civil engineering that went into the Tees flyover and the complicated free-flowing intersection with the A66 (probably one of the best types of junctions ever to be seen off the motorway network), so grand that it gave me the impression that the road would never have useless sections of single carriageway. My Dad destroyed that theory driving us up the A19 off the M62.
Being used to the dualled sections of the A19, it was shocking to realise that there are still single carriageway stretches between Doncaster, Selby, York and Thirsk. Worst still, it's still shocking to see that none of it has been dualled since."
Doncaster - Selby
The A19 starts at a roundabout with the A630. It then heads west to cross the new D2 St. George’s Bridge, which crosses both the East Coast Main Line and the River Don. It was completed in 2002. It then makes a TOTSO northwards at a roundabout with the A638 just to the north of Doncaster itself; this junction has been improved in recent years. It then winds its way through the suburb of Bentley and out into the countryside to the north of the urban area.
Much of the A19's course round here runs through the old Yorkshire coalfield, and there's evidence of this on the way with old slag-heaps and colliery buildings.
It then sets off north towards the village of Askern, itself with a history of mining in the area. There are some long straights north of here, and the surrounds are mostly flat as the road heads towards the M62.
From here, the village of Eggborough has been bypassed in recent years, with the new road travelling from the roundabout near the power station (there are 3 power stations in a row at this point, running west-east: Ferrybridge, Eggborough, and Drax, with its enormous chimney, to the east). The A19 then meets its previous alignment to the north of the village, before travelling through the small village of Burn.
Just before Selby a roundabout meets the town bypass, which re-routes the A63 around the south of the town. The A19 continues straight towards the centre of Selby, over a level-crossing and on to a busy traffic-light junction with the former A63 (now the A1238) from Leeds. After passing Selby Abbey, and crossing the River Ouse over the former toll-bridge, the A19 leaves Selby passing the derelict dock area. The A63 bypass then rejoins at another roundabout, with the A19 taking the major of a short multiplex. Then they both go on the old course for a short bit, until the A63 diverges off (at a roundabout added in 2018) to Howden and, eventually, Hull. Meanwhile, the A19 heads on north towards York.
Selby - Thirsk
On the unfortunate occasions that I have since travelled between Selby and Thirsk the torture of being stuck in congas of cars behind caravans slow lorries, horseboxes and the inevitable mud slinging tractor.
The A19 loses primary status at the Fulford interchange between the A19 and A64 just south of York. The A19 continues as non-primary on a route straight north through the centre of York, multiplexing with the A1036 inner ring road around the central core. After which it strikes northward again as a city street until it reaches the congested roundabout junction with the A1237 York outer ring road.
The road is a good quality S2 with long straights south of the Easingwold bypass, however there are frequent holdups on this section as the route is very frequently used by slow moving tractors from the surrounding farms.
Onward, and the horrible stretch between York and Thirsk was not helped much by the opening of the Easingwold Bypass - why single? Why not dual with grade separation? After 4 fatalities the then-DoT decided that the T-junction at the north end of the by-pass should be replaced—with another roundabout.
After Easingwold, the undulates through Thormanby and Birdforth. Although mostly NSL, a succession of junctions, bends and hillocks makes overtaking tricky except for the most committed of driver. But just as the depression sets in, Thirsk appears. Passing under the A168 the A19 enters a roundabout - straight ahead, the road becomes the A170 entering Thirsk itself... meanwhile, via the onslip, the A19 takes over the mainline of the A168.
Thirsk - Seaton Burn
The A19 now becomes a proper road: yes dual carriageway with proper junctions, albeit some gap intersections, climbing slightly past Knayton and skirting the western edge of the North York Moors then dropping towards the Cleveland Tontine. Eventually after passing the Crathorne/Yarm exit the road hurtles towards Teesside over the Leven Viaduct. About a couple of miles from the Parkway Turn (A174) the road is raised slightly, overlooking Thornaby Industrial Estate and one of Europe's biggest housing estates known as Ingleby Barwick, giving clues that Teesside is imminent. At the Parkway the lighting columns appear then the road widens to 3 lanes, then at Acklam it becomes four before two peel off for the A66 for Stockton and Middlesbrough. At this point the area is surrounded by retail parks, and masses of industry arranged round the A66/A19 freeflowing curved concrete structures that ferry turning traffic from any direction to another.
This road was improved in the late 90's as it was widened from 2 to 3 & 4 lanes between the Parkway and Norton. For once the DoT managed to do something right. Even in rush hour the road still flows quite well.
Past Teesside the road climbs to a rural landscape before hitting Peterlee and the surrounding ex-coal-mining villages all competing with place marketing billboards for industries to locate. Of course further up the road at Sunderland Nissan sits beside the A19, just before the Testos Roundabout. At one time the A19 ended here as the A1 took over to run through the Tyne Tunnel, but the A1 moved to become an accident blackspot by the Angel of the North and the congestion hotspot known as the Western By-pass. To the east the A19 now runs through the Tyne Tunnels. The A19 then continues to rejoin the A1 just north of Newcastle, before the grand old A1 itself fizzles out into a primitive standard single-carriageway effort.
History
Bypasses apart (at one time the A19 ran along Stockton High Street) the A19 still follows its original route from Doncaster north to Seaham, to the south of Sunderland. The road then ran through the centre of town along what is now the B1522 and then along the A1018 to end in South Shields. The Sunderland bypass and road through the Tyne Tunnel was originally opened as A108. Most of this became the A1 in 1978 when that road was diverted away from the centre of Newcastle; the southern section became the A19 at this time and when the A1 was diverted again - to the west this time - the A19 took over the remainder and so continues to Seaton Burn.
Opening dates
Dates for new bypass sections and online dualling, with associated maps, can be seen at A19/Improvements Timeline
Videos
Links
Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
Schemes
Roads UK
legislation.gov.uk
- The A19 Trunk Road (A19/A63 Junction at Barlby to A19/A63 Junction at Selby Crossroads) (Detrunking) Order 2009 - this order detrunks a section of the road following the 1998 review A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A19 Trunk Road (North Yorkshire/City of York Boundary to A19/A168 Roundabout) (Detrunking)Order 2003 - this order detrunks a section of the road following the 1998 review A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A19 Trunk Road (North Yorkshire/City of York Boundary to A19/A63 Junction) (Detrunking) Order 2003 - this order detrunks a section of the road following the 1998 review A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A19 Trunk Road (County Boundary to Fulford Interchange) (Detrunking) Order 2003 - this order detrunks a section of the road following the 1998 review A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A19 Trunk Road (Rawcliffe Roundabout to City Boundary) (Detrunking) Order 2003 - this order detrunks a section of the road following the 1998 review A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
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