A687 (Scotch Corner - Darlington)

This article is about original number allocated to the route between Scotch Corner and Darlington that soon became the A1.
For current route in the Yorkshire Dales, see A687.

The now-unclassified former A687 near Stapleton

The A687 was originally allocated by the MOT to the road between Scotch Corner and Darlington via Barton and Stapleton, while the A1 was routed from Boroughbridge to Darlington via Thirsk and Northallerton. However, the route via Scotch Corner was considered by far to be more important. As early as February 1922, before the final list of 'A' roads had been allocated, a Northern Divisional Road Engineer had already informed the MOT that traffic levels justified that the A1 should run via Scotch Corner and the MOT was making a fundamental mistake in not doing so.

Although this change did not take effect in time to be reflected in the 1922 Road Lists, the MOT did soon concede to local authority knowledge, and so the A687 became one of the first A roads to bite the dust, making Scotch Corner the important A1 / A66 split that still exists today. See 1924 A1 Renumbering. Given the objection to its allocation happened so early, it seems possible that A687 signs never actually appeared on the ground.

Since then, much of this road has been downgraded following the arrival of the A1(M) and A66(M) in the area. The ex-A687 is the unclassified road through Barton running parallel, although the A1 still follows its route immediately north of Scotch Corner - and the County Durham section is now numbered A66.