The A1, also known as the Great North Road, is the longest numbered road in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, at . It connects

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the capital of England, with

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, the capital of Scotland. The numbering system for A-roads, devised in the early 1920s, was based around patterns of roads radiating from two hubs at London and Edinburgh. The first number in the system, A1, was given to the most important part of that system: the road from London to Edinburgh, joining the two central points of the system and linking two of the UK's mainland capital cities. It passes through or near

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, Hatfield,

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

, Baldock,

Biggleswade Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, This figur ...

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, Stamford,

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

, Retford,

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Wetherby Wetherby ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire and lies approximately from Leeds city centre, from ...

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

, Durham,

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, Morpeth,

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

, Haddington,

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...

, and east Edinburgh. It was designated by the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

in 1921, and for much of its route it followed various branches of the historic Great North Road, the main deviation being between Boroughbridge and

. The course of the A1 has changed where towns or villages have been bypassed, and where new alignments have taken a slightly different route. Between the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...

in London and Morpeth in Northumberland, the road is a dual carriageway, several sections of which have been upgraded to motorway standard and designated A1(M). Between the M25 (near London) and the A720 (near Edinburgh) the road is part of the unsigned Euroroute E15 from

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

History

The A1 is the latest in a series of routes north from London to

and beyond. It was designated in 1921 by the

under the

Great Britain road numbering scheme In Great Britain, there is a numbering scheme used to Categorization, classify and identify all roads. Each road is given a single letter (representing a category) and a subsequent number (between one and four digits). Though this scheme was in ...

. The earliest documented northern routes are the roads created by the Romans during the period from AD 43 to AD 410, which consisted of several ''itinera'' (plural of ''iter'') recorded in the

Antonine Itinerary The Antonine Itinerary (, "Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is an , a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly in part from a survey carried out under Augustus, it describes t ...

. A combination of these were used by the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

as the route from London to York, and together became known as

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...

. Ermine Street later became known as the Old North Road. Part of this route in London is followed by the current A10. By the 12th century, because of flooding and damage by traffic, an alternative route out of London was found through

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

, and became part of the Great North Road. A turnpike road, New North Road and Canonbury Road ( A1200 road), was constructed in 1812 linking the start of the Old North Road around

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

with the Great North Road at Highbury Corner. While the route of the A1 outside London mainly follows the Great North Road route used by mail coaches between London and Edinburgh, within London the coaching route is only followed through Islington.Norman W. Webster (1974)'' The Great North Road'' The Ferryhill Cut was opened in 1923. A number of bypasses were built from 1926 onwards, including around Barnet and Hatfield in 1927, but it was not until that they were renumbered A1. The

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

bypass, opened in 1931, was the first bypass to be built as a dual carriageway. In 1960 Stamford,

and

were bypassed, as was Retford in 1961. Baldock, Eaton Socon and Buckden were bypassed in 1967. During the early 1970s plans to widen the A1 along Archway Road in London were abandoned after considerable opposition and four public inquiries during which road protesters disrupted proceedings. The scheme was finally dropped in 1990. The Hatfield

cut-and-cover A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two Portal (architecture), portals common at each end, though ther ...

was opened in 1986. A proposal to upgrade the whole of the A1 to motorway status was investigated by the government in 1989 but was dropped in 1995, along with many other schemes, in response to road protests against other road schemes (including the

Newbury Bypass The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road (A34) (Newbury Bypass), is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It is located to the west of the town and forms ...

and the M3 extension through

Twyford Down Twyford Down is an area of chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England next to St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire, St. Catherine's Hill and close to the South Downs National Park. It has been settled since pre ...

Inns

The inns on the road, many of which still survive, were staging posts on the coach routes, providing accommodation, stabling for the horses and replacement mounts. Few of the surviving

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

s can be seen while driving on the A1, because the modern route now bypasses the towns with the inns.

Route

The A1 runs from outside St Paul's tube station in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

at St. Paul's Cathedral to Edinburgh Waverley railway station in the centre of the Scottish capital. It shares its London terminus with the A40, in the City area of

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

. It runs out of London via St. Martin's Le Grand and Aldersgate Street, through

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

(where Goswell Road and

Upper Street Upper Street is the main street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It begins at the junction of the A1 and Liverpool Road, continuing on from Islington High Street which runs from the crossroads at Pe ...

form part of its route), up Holloway Road, through

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

, and Barnet. The road enters

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

just before

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882.Hatfield, Welwyn,

, Baldock. But it once again becomes a dual carriageway from Baldock Junction 10 through

, Sandy, several small villages to Buckden then on to Alconbury Junction 14. Junctions 11, 12 and 13 are still to be planned/built. Several groups along this non motorway stretch are actively campaigning for an upgrade to modern standards. Continuing north, the A1 runs on modern bypasses around Stamford,

, Retford, Bawtry,

, Knottingley, Garforth,

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023. History The Knaresborough Hoard, the largest hoard of ...

, Boroughbridge, Scotch Corner,

, Newton Aycliffe, Durham and

, past the

Angel of the North The ''Angel of the North'' is a contemporary sculpture by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Completed in 1998, it is seen by an estimated 33 million people every year due to its proximity to the A1 road (Great Bri ...

sculpture and the Metrocentre in

, through the western suburbs of

, Morpeth,

, into Scotland at Marshall Meadows, past Haddington and

before arriving in Edinburgh at the East End of

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

near Waverley Station, at the junction of the A7, A8 and A900 roads. Scotch Corner, in North Yorkshire, marks the point where before the M6 was built, the traffic for

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and the west of Scotland diverged from that for Edinburgh. As well as a hotel there have been a variety of sites for the transport café, now subsumed as a motorway services. There are five roundabouts north of the Sterling corner junction: Biggleswade south, Biggleswade north, Sandy A603, Black Cat A428/A4211, lastly Buckden, after which there are no more roundabouts for until the Berwick A1167. The Black Cat roundabout is due to be removed in 2025.

Overview and post-First World War developments

A section of the road in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, from Walshford to Dishforth, was upgraded to motorway standard in 1995. Neolithic remains and a Roman fort were discovered. A section of the road from Alconbury to Peterborough was upgraded to motorway standard at a cost of £128 million (£ as of ), which opened in 1998 requiring moving the memorial to Napoleonic prisoners buried at

Norman Cross Norman Cross may refer to: * Norman Cross Prison, prisoner-of-war camp constructed in 1790s in Huntingdonshire, England * Norman Cross, Cambridgeshire, hamlet near Peterborough * Norman Cross Hundred, a subdivision of Huntingdonshire first mentione ...

. A number of sections between Newcastle and Edinburgh were dualled between 1999 and 2004, including a section from Spott Wood to Oswald Dean in 1999, sections from Bowerhouse to Spott Road and from Howburn to Houndwood in 2002–2003 and the "A1 Expressway", from Haddington and

in 2004. The total cost of these works was £50 million. Plans to dual the

single carriageway A single carriageway (British English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation, central reservation/median strip to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road is a type of ...

section of road north of Newcastle upon Tyne were shelved in 2006 as they were not considered a regional priority by central government. The intention was to dual the road between Morpeth and Felton and between Adderstone and Belford. In 1999 a section of A1(M) between Bramham and Hook Moor opened to traffic along with the extension of the M1 from

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. Under a DBFO contract, sections from Wetherby to Walshford and Darrington to Hook Moor were opened in 2005 and 2006.

Recent developments

A1 Peterborough to Blyth grade separated junctions

Between September 2006 and October 2009 six roundabouts on the A1 and the A1(M) to Alconbury were replaced with grade-separated junctions. These provide a fully grade-separated route between the Buckden roundabout (just north of St Neots and approximately north of the Black Cat roundabout) and just north of Morpeth. This project cost £96 million.

A1(M) Bramham to Wetherby motorway

Upgrading the of road to dual three-lane motorway standard between the Bramham/ A64 junction to north of Wetherby to meet the section of motorway at a cost of £70 million began in 2006, including a road alongside for non-motorway traffic. The scheme's public inquiry began on 18 October 2006 and the project was designed by James Poyner. Work began in May 2007, the motorway section opened in July 2009 and remaining work on side roads was still ongoing in late August and was expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

A1(M) Dishforth to Leeming motorway

Upgrading of the existing dual carriageway to dual three-lane motorway standard, with a local road alongside for non-motorway traffic, between Dishforth (A1(M)/ A168 junction) and Leeming Bar, began in March 2009 and opened to traffic on or about the scheduled date of 31 March 2012.

A1(M) Leeming to Barton motorway

It had originally been proposed that the road would be upgraded to motorway from Dishforth to Barton (between Scotch Corner and

), which was the start of current northernmost section of A1(M). In 2010 the section between Leeming and Barton was cancelled as part of government spending cuts but it was reinstated in December 2012. Work began on 3 April 2014 and was expected to be completed by Spring 2017, but only reached completion in March 2018 due in part to significant Roman-era archaeological finds along the route of the motorway. Completion has provided a continuous motorway-standard road between Darrington (south of M62 junction) and Washington, and given the North East and North Yorkshire full motorway access to

(via the M1 at Darrington and Hook Moor). Councils in the north east have called for the section from Hook Moor in Yorkshire (where the M1 link road joins the A1(M)) to Washington to be renumbered as the M1. They maintain that this would raise the profile of the north-east and be good for business.

A1 (Gateshead Western Bypass)

In his Autumn Statement on 5 December 2012, the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

announced that the Government would upgrade a section of road from two to three lanes in each direction within the highway boundary at Lobley Hill (between Coal House and the Metro Centre),

at a cost of £64 million and create parallel link roads between the Lobley Hill and Gateshead Quay junctions. The same Road investment strategy announcement said that the remaining section of road between Birtley and Coal House will also be widened to three lanes each way, alongside the replacement of the Allerdene Bridge. A modified scheme commenced in August 2014 and was open to traffic in June 2016. The road is now three lanes each way with lane 3 narrower than lanes 1 and 2 so that all existing bridges remained as originally built. The A1 around Durham, Gateshead and Newcastle has seen a number of incarnations, following routes through, to the east and to the west of both Gateshead and Newcastle. See A1 (Newcastle upon Tyne) for more information.

Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme

The A14 Ellington to

Fen Ditton Fen Ditton is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district, on the northeast edge of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 760. The parish covers an area of . Fen Ditton lies on the eas ...

scheme, also known as the Huntingdon Bypass required a redesigned interchange at

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

. As a result the A1 was widened to a D3 standard from the current end of the A1(M) to the slip roads connecting directly onto the A14. South of the new Interchange the A1 was realigned but kept as a 2 lane dual carriageway. This scheme was meant to result in the A1 becoming the A1(M) along the upgraded sections, however the legal proceedings for this did not take place, and instead features a large amount of restrictions, similar to a motorway. This scheme was opened in December 2019.

A52 Grantham Southern Relief Road

The new junction is now complete on the A1 south of Grantham, Highways England constructed 4 new slip roads to connect the A1 Trunk Road to the new Grantham Southern Relief Road (A52) being constructed by Lincolnshire County Council. This will create a southern entry to Grantham and also to the site known as the 'King 31 Development'. The Grade Separated Junction on the A1 was opened to traffic in December 2022. The on-going phase three is the Southern Quadrant Link Road (SQLR), which will complete the relief road and is expected to be completed in 2025. A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Upgrade The A1 road, a key route in Great Britain, has seen several major developments in recent years. Notably, the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton upgrade, completed in November 2022, represents a significant enhancement of the route. This project, valued at approximately £110 million, added an additional lane in each direction between junctions 74 and 79, covering a distance of five miles. It was expected to boost economic activity in the North East by improving access to services, businesses, and housing. The upgrade also had a positive environmental impact, reducing carbon emissions by over 8,000 tonnes, thanks to methods such as reusing materials and employing sustainable drainage systems.

Ongoing developments

A1 Birtley to Coal House Widening

The A1 between Junctions 65 (Birtley) & 67 (Coal House) on the Newcastle Bypass is currently being widened to a D4 cross section from the existing D2 cross section, this includes replacing the existing bridge over the East Coast Main Line. Works started in December 2021 and are due to be completed in 2025. Currently, the A1 Birtley to Coal House widening project is still ongoing. In recent developments, a contraflow system was installed on the A1 between junctions 65 (Birtley) and 66 (Eighton Lodge) in May 2024. This shift to a contraflow will help improve safety and reduce congestion while widening bridges and constructing new lanes. Additionally, the project has seen the successful opening of the new Allerdene bridge for northbound traffic in September 2023. The North Dene footbridge, designed to enhance pedestrian and cyclist journeys, is also expected to open later in 2024. These improvements aim to increase capacity and support the regional economy by making travel safer and more efficient.

Black Cat roundabout replacement

In December 2014 a scheme was announced to dual the A428 from the A1/ A421 Black Cat roundabout to Cambourne. This would include significant works to the A1/A421 Black Cat roundabout. The existing traffic signal controlled roundabout would be replaced with a grade-separated junction. The new Grade Separated Junction would allow the A1 and A421 traffic to pass over each other, with a middle level roundabout connecting them together including links to local roads. Many direct accesses on the A1 would be stopped up and diverted onto new local access roads. The scheme started construction in late 2023, the works currently underway along the A1. When completed this will remove one of the last 5 roundabouts on the A1 from Sterling corner to the Berwick bypass. The replacement of the Black Cat Roundabout as part of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements project is currently ongoing. The £1 billion infrastructure scheme aims to significantly improve traffic flow and connectivity across the region. The project will upgrade the Black Cat roundabout into a modern, free-flowing junction, with work set to continue until 2027. As of 2024, National Highways has made substantial progress, including the installation of key infrastructure such as bridges and slip roads. Recent developments include the completion of major bridge installations, with several closures planned to accommodate large-scale construction activities, such as the installation of steel beams for the Roxton Road bridge. The A1 continues to undergo significant improvement as part of the broader effort to modernise the UK’s transport infrastructure. National Highways, responsible for overseeing roadworks on motorways and major A roads, has outlined plans for continued investment in the A1 to support both local traffic and freight transport. These upgrades are expected to alleviate congestion, improve safety, and support the economy by enhancing the accessibility of key business and service hubs across the North East. These projects are part of an ongoing effort to expand the A1 from its current dual carriageway sections into full motorway status in certain areas, a development that is expected to improve traffic flow and reduce accidents.

Proposed developments

A1(M) Red House to Darrington motorway

In the "Road investment strategy" announced to Parliament by the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

and

Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...

on 1 December 2014, planning will begin to upgrade the road in South Yorkshire to raise the last non-motorway section from Red House to Darrington to motorway standard. Once completed, it will provide a continuous motorway-standard road between

Blyth, Nottinghamshire Blyth is a village and civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, north west of East Retford, on the River Ryton. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 1,233, and thi ...

and

Washington, Tyne and Wear Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland, Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the local Washington family, from which the first President of the United Stat ...

and will provide the North East and Yorkshire with full motorway access to London via the M1, M62 and M18. It will also improve safety along this route, as well as creating a new corridor to the North East, and reducing congestion on the M1 around

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

and

. This is the only missing link of motorway on the strategic M1/ M18/ A1(M) route London to Washington.

A1 Morpeth to Ellingham

The announcement then said that the road from Morpeth to Ellingham would be upgraded to dual carriageway. The selection of the preferred route was scheduled for the year 2017, with construction due to begin in 2019. In response to questions regarding transport in the north, Highways England stated that a new dual carriageway section between Morpeth and Felton and also that of Alnwick to Ellingham would start in 2021 with full opening in 2023. However in June 2022 UK government minister

Grant Shapps Sir Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from August 2023 to July 2024. Shapps previously served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, cabinet posts, including Chairman of ...

delayed a decision about a Development Consent Order signing off on National Highways' plans until December 2022.

A1 North of Ellingham

Measures were also announced to enhance the performance and safety of the A1 north of Ellingham to include three sections of climbing lanes, five junctions with improved right turn refuges, and better crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Start of construction is scheduled for 2018.

A46 Newark northern bypass scheme

It was then also announced that planning would begin to upgrade the Newark northern bypass to dual carriageway, and the A46 junction with the A1 will be replaced to support nearby housing growth and improve links from the A1 to Newark and Lincoln. The DCO is due to be submitted in early 2024, with construction likely to start in 2026 if approved.

A1(M) Doncaster By-pass

In 2014, the government included a proposal to widen the Doncaster By-pass to three lanes in its "Road investment strategy", however no further announcements were made and this section of motorway remains unaltered.

Sandy-Beeston By-pass

In 2003 a proposal for a bypass of Sandy and Beeston,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, was put forward as a green-lighted scheme as part of a government multi-modal study, with a cost of £67 million. However, the Highways Agency was unwilling to confirm the information as the study was preliminary and intended for future publication. In 2008 the proposal was submitted for consideration in the pre-2013/14 Regional Funding Advice 2 Programme of the East of England Development Agency.

A1(M) technology enhancements and upgrades; A1 East of England feasibility study

It was also announced in 2014 that new technology would be implemented to bring the road to motorway standards, including detection loops, CCTV cameras and variable message signs to provide better information for drivers and active traffic management across

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is ...

, while Junction 6 (Welwyn North) to Junction 8 (Hitchin) would be upgraded to smart motorway, including widening of a two-lane section to dual three lanes and hard shoulder running. This plan to upgrade to smart motorway has now been cancelled. A strategic study will examine how to improve the safety and performance of the A1 between

and the M25, including whether to upgrade the old dual carriageway section to motorway standard.

A1(M)

Some sections of the A1 have been upgraded to

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

standard. These are known as the A1(M) and include:

M25 to Stotfold

The M25 to Stotfold section is , and was constructed between 1962 and 1986. The main destinations are Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, and Letchworth. It opened in five stages: junctions 1 to 2 in 1979; 2 to 4 in 1986; 4 to 6 in 1973; 6 to 8 in 1962; and 8 to 10 in 1967.

Alconbury to Peterborough

The Alconbury to Peterborough section is , and opened in 1998.

Doncaster Bypass

The Doncaster By-pass opened in 1961 and is one of the oldest sections of motorway in Britain. It is long, and runs from Blyth to Carcroft.

Darrington to Gateshead

The Darrington to Gateshead section was constructed between 1965 and 2018. It is , and opened in sections: * Junctions 56 to 59 in 1965 * Junctions 59 to 63 in 1969 * Junctions 63 to 65 in 1970 * Walshford to 49 in 1995 * Junctions 43 to 44 in 1999 :When this section opened it ended at a temporary terminus south of the M1. There was a final exit into Micklefield Village for non-motorway traffic onto what is now the access road. During the first week of June 2009, Junctions 44 and 45 were renumbered 43 and 44. At the same time the A1/A659 Grange Moor junction became A1(M) Junction 45. As a result many atlases show incorrect junction numbering for this stretch of motorway. * Junction 46 to temporary junction at Walshford opened in 2005 * Junction 40 to south of 43 opened in 2005 & 2006 :The northern section of the upgrade, bypassing Fairburn village opened in April 2005 with a temporary connection with the A1 between Fairburn and Brotherton. The southern section, with a free-flow interchange with the

M62 motorway The M62 is a west–east Pennines, trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Kingston upon Hull, Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; of the route Concurrency (road), is shared with the M60 motorway, ...

opened on 13 January 2006. * Junctions 44 to 46 opened in 2009 * Junctions 49 to 51 opened as of 31 March 2012. Work began in March 2009 to upgrade the Dishforth to Leeming section to dual three-lane motorway standard with existing connections being replaced by two new junctions. This work was completed on 31 March 2012. * Junctions 51 to 56 opened in 2017 & 2018.

Junctions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1-0001 Motorways in England Roads in England Roads in Scotland Transport in the London Borough of Barnet Transport in the London Borough of Islington Transport in Bedfordshire Transport in East Lothian Transport in Edinburgh Roads in Hertfordshire Transport in Lincolnshire Transport in Northumberland Roads in Nottinghamshire Transport in the Scottish Borders Transport in Tyne and Wear Roads in Yorkshire Boroughbridge