A64
A64 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Leeds (SE309337) | ||||||
To: | Scarborough (TA039883) | ||||||
Via: | York, Malton | ||||||
Distance: | 66.6 miles (107.2 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A64(M), A61, A653, B6159, A6120, A1(M), A659, A162, A1237, A1036, A19, A166, A1079, B1248, B1257, B1258, B1249, A1039, B1261, B1427, A170, A165 | ||||||
Old route now: | A659, A1036 | ||||||
Primary Destinations | |||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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The A64 is a primary route connecting Leeds with the historic city of York and connecting both Leeds and York to the Yorkshire Coast at Scarborough.
Route
Leeds – York
The A64 number starts in the centre of Leeds at the point where the A58 turns off the A58(M) on the Inner Ring Road (creating a TOTSO for A58 traffic); the Inner Ring Road becomes the A64(M). However, this road is short lived, and soon becomes the A64 proper where the sliproad merges from the Woodpecker Junction. Oddly, the A64 at York Road has three lanes each way, while the A64(M) has only two.
The A64 exits Leeds grade-separated all the way, until it reaches the traffic lights at Harehills Road, and the B6159 begins its multiplex for a mile or so. From here to the Ring Road there are guided bus lanes down the middle of the dual carriageway, and there are two lanes each way.
After another mile there's a traffic light controlled junction where the B6159 ends its multiplex and forks off to the right along the original western end of the A63, and the road carries on through a few more sets of traffic lights until it reaches the former Ring Road (prior to the East Leeds Orbital Route being built), and the road has a multiplex with the B6902 for half a mile uphill to the next roundabout to the north (the A64 taking the signed road; previously, the A6120 was the signed road here). This remains a survival of NSL in an urban environment. The dual-carriageway stops from here and the road is reduced to a single-carriageway road for several miles until the Bramham Crossroads on the A1(M). On the way there, there is a hamburger roundabout with the new course of the A6120, which takes the middle 'slice' of the hamburger.
After roundabout with the A1(M), we return to two-lane dual carriageway. There are some grade-separated junctions, on the Tadcaster bypass, built in the late 1970s. The former A64 through Tadcaster is now called the A659.
Once the road passes the signs for "YORK" and the A1237, it's sub-motorway standard all the way. The road joins the York ring road where the A1237 turns off; that road (of much poorer quality than the A64) forms the northern half whereas the A64 goes around the south. There's a junction with the A1036 which was the former A64 through York, after which we continue along the York Bypass built in 1976 and has GSJs with the A19, A1079, and A166. The road continues around the South of York until it reaches the Hopgrove Roundabout, at the end of the York bypass. This is where the A64 re-meets the A1036 and A1237. From here, the dual carriageway ends once again, and the road continues as a single carriageway to the edge of the Vale of York.
York – Scarborough
At the edge of the Vale of York, the road enters a series of steep climbs and drops. There is a 5-mile single carriageway section, then D2 dual carriageway on over of the steeper hills, including Barton Hill. This dual carriageway ends again and there is a 3-mile single carriageway section before reaching the Malton Bypass, which is a high quality D2 dual carriageway. The Malton bypass was built in 1979, and the former A64 through Malton is now the B1248. The bypass has two junctions with this road (one recently had major work done to it) and one with the A169.
After the Malton Bypass, the road goes back to being single carriageway. There is no more dual carriageway along this road. The road passes the Ham and Cheese Inn at Scagglethorpe and then the Flower Cafe as the road passes through the centre of Rillington, just after the traffic lights. From here the road runs along the southern side of the Vale of Pickering. The A170 runs parallel, on the north side of the valley. After a while, the road passes through West and then East Heslerton. However, most of the village is away from the main road. The road then enters Sherburn, which it goes right through the centre of. The speed limit through Sherburn is 30 mph, as it is with Rillington and East and West Heslerton. After Sherburn, the road passes a large factory building on the left belonging to Ward Building Components Ltd. (They make the girders and panels that make up modern industrial buildings).
After this the road goes past Ganton and then past another set of traffic lights at the start of the Staxton bypass and Staxton Hill, the B1249, then has a roundabout with the A1039. The A64 turns north rather suddenly here, and to another roundabout with the B1261 and the Seamer bypass begins, the former A64 being the B1261. The A64 goes round towards Scarborough and passes through the industrial area of Seamer and around a roundabout with Dunslow Road before meeting the B1261 at another roundabout. From here the road joins it old alignment and heads into Scarborough and runs through a few sets of traffic lights. It turns right at one of these, where it meets the A170 (and just misses the A171 coast road) to end at another set on the A165 between the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Scarborough railway station. The A64 junction marks the end of the primary route part of the A165.
Prior to the mid-1980s the A64 continued along Westborough, Newborough and Eastborough to terminate at the West Pier at the junction with Foreshore Road. The 1987 OS 1:1250 plan appears to be the last map to show the A64 extending this far.
Improvements east of York
As detailed above, the majority of the road east of York, with the notable exception of the Malton bypass, is single carriageway and in the early 1990s proposals were drawn up by the Department of Transport which would have seen the road dualled between the Hopgrove Roundabout and the start of the then recently opened Seamer bypass. The plans were for the road to follow the current alignment between York and Malton but east of Malton, a new road would have been built which for the most part it would have run parallel to the York - Scarborough railway line. The current A64 would have been retained a local access road. However these plans were shelved in the late 1990s. Now, the only possible improvement to the road might be a bypass of the village of Rillington as dualling the road east of York is now seen as unrealistic on cost grounds.
The traffic effectively splits in two at Malton, going onwards to Scarborough and northwards to Pickering on the A169. There are only two short sections of single carriageway between York and Malton, so an option for improvements would be to just fill the 5-mile gap east of York and the 3-mile gap west of Malton. Almost all the required land take on the 5-mile Hopgrove-Barton Hill section is already reserved, so almost no additional land take would be required, and the additional carriageway could be constructed alongside the existing carriageway.
In 2021, National Highways produced three options regarding dualling the single carriageway section between Hopgrove and Barton Le Willows. Two of the three options consider the dualled route running on a different alignment with the third option being for the current road to be dualled.
History
Route Changes
Opening Dates
Year | Section | Notes |
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1936 | Barton Hill Diversion | 1 mile dual carriageway with cycle tracks and footpaths from south of Steelmoor Plantation to just south-east of Barton Hill Station. Work started in February 1936 and was expected to take 9 months. It may have ran on into 1937. Forecast cost £27,500. It was the first of 3 schemes to re-align and dual north-eastwards to Crambeck Crossroads (Greets House Road). A bridge to replace the level crossing at Barton Hill Station was opened in 1936 per Yorkshire Post of 16 April 1938. the girders were put in place on 14 September 1936. |
1937 | Whitwell-on-the-Hill Bypass | It was mentioned as completed by the Yorkshire Post of 7 June 1937. It may have opened in late 1936. Dual carriageway. Part of the scheme to re-align and dual from Barton Hill to Crambeck Crossroads (Greets House Road). |
1939 | Tadcaster – York Dualling | 6 miles from Slip Inn Farm, Tadcaster Bar to just west of the York – Ulleskelf railway line at Dringhouses. Work was still ongoing at Bow Bridge at the Tadcaster end per a roadworks report in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner of 12 July 1939 (and earlier reports for some time), although later reports may have been curtailed by the war. Leeds Mercury of 30 May 1938 had reported rapid progress and being able to see how the scheme would look. Parts may have opened as the scheme progressed. Work had started after February 1937. Widening to a width of 120 feet with dual carriageways and cycle tracks. |
Pre 1947 | Claxton Grange Diversion | Shown on 1947 OS One inch map |
Pre 1947 | Horton Lodge Diversion | Shown on 1947 OS One inch map |
Pre 1947 | Hutton Hill Diversion | Shown on 1947 OS One inch map |
1964 | Seacroft Bypass | Dual carriageway from Mill Green Roundabout, York Road to Seacroft Roundabout, Barwick Road. Shown on July 1964 OS Quarter inch map. Historic England have a photo of it under construction on 12 September 1963. It may have opened in late 1963. Opened as A6120, and part of the original Leeds Outer Ring Road. Renumbered as A64 in 2022. |
1976 | York Southern Bypass | The 8.9 mile D2 dual carriageway from Askham Bar to Malton Road, north of Hopgrove Roundabout - was completed in April 1976 per the Policy for Roads: England 1978 Report. Outturn works cost was £12 million. |
1978 | Tadcaster Bypass | The 3.5 mile D2 dual carriageway was fully opened in August 1978. The eastbound carriageway had opened earlier in the year. Outturn works cost £8.9 million. |
1978 | Malton and Norton Bypass | The 5 mile dual carriageway was opened on 14 December 1978 by John Horam, Parliamentary Under-secretary at Department for Transport per the RAC World Holiday Planner 1979. Contractor was Dowsett. The Department of Transport required the use of wet mix for the road pavement despite reservations by the Regional office, and previous problems that had seen its use banned on motorways in 1969 and dual carriageways in 1976. It needed remedial work in 1985 - 88 costing £3.1 million. |
1986 | Scagglethorpe Bypass | In a Hansard debate of 24 March 1987 it was mentioned that the village was provided with a bypass in the last six months. It may have opened in 1987. |
1988 | Seamer and Crossgates Bypass | The 2.4 mile road was opened on 5 February 1988 by Sir Michael Shaw, MP. Contractor was Dowsett, cost £5 million. |
Links
- Roads.org.uk Motorway Database
- Legislation: The A64 Trunk Road (Whinmoor Roundabout to County Boundary) (Detrunking) Order 2003
- Legislation: The A64 Trunk Road (City of Leeds/North Yorkshire County Boundary to A64/A1 Roundabout) (Detrunking) Order 2003
- Legislation: The A64 Trunk Road (Musham Bank Roundabout to Queen Margaret’s Roundabout) (Detrunking) Order 2002
- Roads UK Highways and Byways Route Guide