A6055
| A6055 | ||||||||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||||||||
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| From: | Knaresborough (SE346574) | |||||||||
| To: | Barton (NZ216081) | |||||||||
| Via: | Boroughbridge | |||||||||
| Distance: | 34.8 miles (56 km) | |||||||||
| Meets: | A59, A1(M), A168, A61, A684, A6136, A6108, A66, B6275, A1(M) | |||||||||
| Former Number(s): | B6166, A1 | |||||||||
| Primary Destinations | ||||||||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||||||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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For the original A6055 in Bolton, see A6055 (Bolton).
Route
The A6055 is a road of two halves in northern Yorkshire.
Knaresborough - Boroughbridge
The road starts at Bond End, which is the junction at the bottom of Knaresborough High Street with the A59. The northeastward line of the A59 actually continues from Harrogate onto the A6055. Emerging from Knaresborough, a sharp right-hand bend about a half-mile after the built up area takes the route slightly east before climbing northward up a steep hill, alongside Knaresborough Golf Club. The road then passes through Ferrensby, takes a few twists and turns and continues towards Minskip. This part of the route was famously surveyed by Blind Jack of Knaresborough - one of the great roadbuilders of the time (despite being blind, hence his name).
From a roundabout the road's original route joined the A1 to the south of Boroughbridge town centre and this was later shortened when the A1 bypass was built; however, following the construction of the A1(M) alongside the original A1 bypass the A6055 was rerouted to join it about a half-mile south at J48, where it also meets the A168.
It's worth mentioning that the original number for the above stretch was the B6166.
Boroughbridge - Leeming
The A6055 ended at Boroughbridge for a number of years. However, after the A1(M) was extended north in the 2010s the A6055 was extended with it as the local access road. However, the road multiplexes with the motorway for two junctions as there is no local access road between J49, where the A168 bears off to Teesside, and J50, where the A6055 reappears at the junction with the A61.
From here the A6055 heads north alongside the motorway, which is immediately to the east; presumably we're running along the old northbound carriageway of the A1. The motorway and local access road occasionally diverge, usually to serve side roads, for example a roundabout with the B6267. At Londonderry the road leaves the original line of the A1 to run along the Leeming Bar bypass. At a roundabout we meet an unclassified road which used to be the A684 at a simple GSJ which has been formed out of the remains of the old northbound sliproads. After crossing the Wensleydale Railway we reach the next junction on the A1(M), J51, where we also meet the A684.
Leeming - Barton
The upgrade of the A1 to motorway from Leeming to Barton finished in 2018. The A6055 was extended as part of this project to provide a local access road with property accesses and provision for non-motorised users.
The road continues to follow the motorway, utilising the old northbound carriageway. At a turning for the village of Hackforth, the road swaps to the other side of the motorway, using a sweeping alignment either side of a bridge. On the right is the old airfield that was once part of Marne Barracks. A right hand turning for the A6136 takes you into the barracks and into Leeming Bar village. This was once the grade separated Catterick South Interchange on the old A1, but nowadays it is just a simple T-junction, with the A6055 having priority.
We are now on the old Catterick bypass, and after a mile or so, the road has to negotiate a pair of roundabouts which connect to the A1(M) at Junction 52. (Perhaps unusually, this short stretch of road between (and including) the two roundabouts was given trunk road status, resulting in a short and quite rare non-primary trunk road.) Shortly after, the road encounters the A6136 again at a T-junction, where we must TOTSO to the right. The road then multiplexes with the A6136 in order to cross the motorway again. The A6136 turns right to head into Catterick, and we carry stright on, through to Brompton on Swale where we meet the B6271 at a set of traffic lights. On exiting Brompton, we encounter a mini roundabout. Straight on is a dead end, now cut off by the motorway, so we turn left and (once again!) cross the motorway to use the old northbound carriageway. This bridge is the old bridge for Catterick North Interchange.
The remaining six miles of the road is fairly uneventful, with the only landmark of note being the old Travelodge/Little Chef complex at Skeeby. Once on the mainline of the busy A1, only the Travelodge remains. A Shell petrol station can be found a few hundred metres further on, somehow getting enough custom to survive - indeed it has had a refurbishment since the motorway construction and now boasts a Londis convenience store.
Less than half a mile later, we reach a large roundabout with the A6108 where the road terminates. From here, a left turns takes you to Richmond, and straight on takes you onto a short D2 dual carriageway that link the two roads with the Scotch Corner junction.
