A1 in Northumberland

Overview

Improving the A1 in Northumberland

In autumn 2014, the government announced the first Road Investment Strategy, which included a £290 million package to improve the A1 in Northumberland.

The A1 in Northumberland programme of improvements includes:

A1 north of Ellingham improvements

A set of measures to enhance the performance and safety of the A1 north of Ellingham.

A1 Morpeth to Ellingham

13 miles of upgrade to dual the carriageway linking the Morpeth and Alnwick bypasses with the dual carriageway near Ellingham, to create a continuous, high quality dual carriageway from Newcastle to Ellingham.

We have been developing the plans for improving the A1 in Northumberland. This includes considering the environmental challenges and identifying the most viable options to improve this nationally important road corridor for all our customers.

We have developed a number of options for improving the A1 north of Ellingham and we would like to know your views.

You can read the North of Ellingham and Morpeth to Ellingham consultation brochures for more information about these schemes.

We need to understand the views of all our customers and local A1 communities.

We are asking you:

• which is your preferred option for upgrading the A1 to dual carriageway between Morpeth and Felton
• for your views on the proposed option for upgrading the A1 to dual carriageway between Alnwick and Ellingham
• for your views on the proposed improvements north of Ellingham

Why are we doing this?

In 2014 a feasibility study was carried out which considered the problems experienced by people using the A1 in Northumberland route.

The following problems were identified:

• drivers face a lack of alternative routes for their journeys
• varying carriageway standards on the route, this can lead to confusion for long distance drivers
• poor junction standards and layout – there are many different types of junctions along the route which can be confusing for those who are not familiar with the route
• a large number of junctions and private accesses, resulting in delays and potential accidents when vehicles exit or enter the main carriageway
• average traffic speeds on the single carriageway sections of the route are significantly lower than sections that have been upgraded to dual carriageway
• a high proportion of heavy goods and agricultural vehicles north of Alnwick resulting in reduced speeds for following vehicles
• lack of overtaking opportunities on single carriageway sections of the route which slows down traffic and peak-hour traffic speeds are significantly slower than when traffic is free flowing

The A1 in Northumberland scheme is designed to address these issues and so improve the safety and speed of journeys along the route.

What happens next?

We will be holding more public consultation events in the local area in 2018. These events will take place before we submit an application to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order. This will give you the opportunity to discuss in more detail with the project team the design of the preferred route and the next steps. We will post details of the events on this page.