The A6055 is a stretch of 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 ...
that runs from Knaresborough to Boroughbridge, with a break, then starts up again at Junction 50 of the A1(M) to run parallel with A1(M) acting as a Local Access Road (LAR) going between Junction 50 and 56 at
Barton. Responsibility for the route rests with the Highways Agency, as it is designated as a primary route associated with the A1(M) upgrade.
Route
It runs in a
North-northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...
direction from the
A59 at Bond End in
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 ...
where it is called Boroughbridge Road, through the Stockwells Estate. It exits Knaresborough just past Greengate Lane where it turns directly north, before once again resuming a
northeasterly direction at a sharp bend on the junction with Farnham Lane. It passes the Knaresborough Golf Club, before going through
Ferrensby Lodge, and taking another Northerly turn before reaching
Ferrensby
Ferrensby is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 187. It is about north-east of Knaresborough and near the A1(M) motorway. Nearby attractions include a ...
itself. Beyond Ferrensby the road is called Harrogate Road, and it continues in a more or less exact northeasterly direction from Ferrensby to
Spellow Hill, near
Staveley, at which point it resumes its due North direction through
Minskip
Minskip is a village in the civil parish of Boroughbridge, in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the A6055 road and 1 mile south-west of Boroughbridge. Minskip appears in the Domesday Book as Minescip, a name derived from the Old English ''gema ...
, before turning Northeast one final time to its former terminus at junction 48 of the
A1(M)
A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capita ...
, just outside
Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge ( ) is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh, which c ...
. From here it runs in
multiplex
Multiplex may refer to:
Science and technology
* Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel
** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast
* ...
with the
A1(M)
A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capita ...
for two junctions to junction 50 at Baldersby Gate Interchange. Northwards from here it follows the line of the former northbound carriageway of the
A1, save for a few deviations onto the former southbound line, to a new terminus at Leeming Junction.
The A6055 continues north on the western side of the newly opened A1(M), crossing over the new route in the Killerby Hall area and then taking the route of the old A1 road past Catterick to a new junction with the
A6136 road
The A6136 is a 4 digit A road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs between the A6108 Queen's Road, in the market town of Richmond, before terminating on the A6055 in Catterick, near the A1(M) Junction 52.
Route
The A6136 begins in the mark ...
on the western side of the A1(M). It then heads north through Catterick Bridge, switching to the west side and then northward up to Scotch Corner. Going north from Scotch Corner up to Barton Interchange it is firstly on the west side before transferring to the east side via an overbridge where it takes the formation of Kneeton Lane before meeting with the B6275 just east of Barton Interchange. Work on this new section, and on the A1(M) upgrade and associated junctions was expected to be finished by the end of 2017. However, delays to the A1(M) Leeming to Barton upgrade meant the full road opened up to traffic between Catterick Bridge, Brompton-on-Swale, Scotch Corner and Barton on 26 February 2018. This was still a full month before the adjacent A1(M) motorway was fully open.
Between junctions 50 and 56 (Barton), the road has an additional name of LAR, Local Access Route.
The old A1(M)
Before 2012 there was no section of
A1 (M) motorway between the junction for the A168 and Barton, just after Scotch Corner. This is where the old A1 road was sandwiched between the sections of the A1(M). It used to be in a
Primary road Dual Carriageway standard use of junctions and 'give ways'. When the A1(M) was built there was no need of it any more so it was downgraded to a secondary status ripped down to a single carriageway standard. Now it is a useful road for non-motorway traffic since it joins the road where the A1 starts again toward
Scotch Corner
Scotch Corner is a junction of the A1(M) and A66 trunk roads near Richmond in North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland", and is a primary destination signed from as f ...
.
Safety and traffic flows

The stretch of road between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge has been described as "notorious" on account of its safety issues and local residents have asked for speed limits and traffic calming measures. On this section, average traffic flow per day rose from 5,397 vehicles in 2000 to 7,982 vehicles in 2014.
The average volume of daily traffic at the A6055 just south of the A684 junction was 4,730 in 2013 and 6,789 in 2014.
The A6055 now takes the route of the former A6136 road through Catterick Bridge and continues through the old northern junction on the A1 road and forms a Local Access Route (LAR) on the western side of the A1(M) where it joins the A6108 road just south of Scotch Corner. To necessitate these changes, and with traffic flow being heavier on the A6055, the priorities at the bridge over the
River Swale
The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley throu ...
in Catterick Bridge have been changed. The junction used to have a priority for traffic travelling from Catterick village to Catterick Bridge as one fork of the A6136; this was changed amidst much local opposition.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:6-6055
Roads in Yorkshire
Transport in North Yorkshire