A1 in Newcastle upon Tyne

Last updated

The A1 road around Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne after arriving from the south as the A1(M) from its origin in London, currently runs from the A1(M) terminus at Birtley. [1] It then swings to the west of both Gateshead and Newcastle via Coal House, Lobley Hill, Metrocentre, Swalwell, Blaydon Bridge, West Denton, Fawdon and Wideopen to Seaton Burn interchange before continuing north towards Edinburgh.

Contents

However, the A1 has followed a number of different routes in the Newcastle area, matching road developments aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

Historic routes

Historical routes of the A1 road and motorway in and around the Newcastle upon Tyne area. A1innewcastle.jpg
Historical routes of the A1 road and motorway in and around the Newcastle upon Tyne area.

Pre-1977

The Great North Road and later the first incarnation of the A1 passed directly through Low Fell, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gosforth and Wideopen before rejoining the current A1 at Seaton Burn. The Great North Road was effectively diverted from the Swing Bridge to the Tyne Bridge when it opened on 25 February 1928, the A1 passing up Pilgrim Street and Northumberland Street. The later first incarnation of Newcastle's Central Motorway built during the 1970s and passing just to the east of Newcastle City Centre, was initially numbered A1(M).[ citation needed ]

The portion of Great North Road through Gateshead and Newcastle has had a number of designations since it ceased being the A1 in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, it was numbered A6127 between Birtley and Newcastle (the Newcastle Central Motorway being renumbered A6127(M) at this time) and A6125 between Newcastle and Seaton Burn—both road numbers are now redundant. [2] [3] Since 1993, the Birtley to Newcastle section has formed part of the A167 (the Central Motorway being renumbered A167(M)) and the Newcastle to Seaton Burn A6125 section has been the B1318.[ citation needed ]

1977 to 1993

After the opening of the Tyne Tunnel on 19 October 1967, the main route for traffic around Gateshead and Newcastle was diverted to the east. [4] With completion of the A1(M) through County Durham in the 1970s, from 1977 onward the A1 ran as the A1(M) from Birtley past the north of Washington to the Newcastle Road / Leam Lane junction near Wardley (this section is now numbered A194(M)). [5] [6] It then ran east to Testo's Roundabout near West Boldon, following what is now a section of the A184. [6] [7] At Testos Roundabout, the A1 turned north following what is now the northern section of the A19 towards Jarrow and the Tyne Tunnel. [4]

North of the Tyne Tunnel, the A1 passed through Howdon, before it continued in a north-westerly direction, through North Tyneside past Killingworth and Cramlington, rejoining the current A1, just north of Newcastle at Seaton Burn. Again, this section of road has been redesignated A19. [4]

The section of road now forming the A19 between Testo's Roundabout and Seaton Burn was numbered the A108 (encompassing also the A19 Sunderland bypass) prior to it being numbered the A1 then A19 as detailed above. [4]

1993 onwards

The Gateshead Western Bypass (A1) The Gateshead Western Bypass (A1).jpg
The Gateshead Western Bypass (A1)

The A1 officially assumed its western route in 1993, with completion of the Newcastle Western Bypass and opening of the Blaydon Bridge on 3 December 1990. The Gateshead Western Bypass, forming the southern part of this western route, was renumbered from A69 to its current A1 number. [8]

Historically, the A1 followed its current route to just north of Boroughbridge, then following the route of the current A168 at Dishforth to Topcliffe (south west of Thirsk. It then followed the route of the current A167, crossing the A61 near Carlton Miniott, then continuing as the A167 via Kirby Wiske, Northallerton, Great Smeaton, Dalton-on-Tees to the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham, crossing the Tees at Croft-on-Tees. [9]

Beyond Croft-on-Tees, the original A1 continued to follow the current route of the A167 through Darlington, Durham, and Chester-le-Street before reaching Birtley. Until 1993, the Chester-le-Street to Birtley section was the southern portion of the A6127 before being renumbered A167. [9]

This section is now bypassed by the A1(M) from Dishforth to Birtley. The Dishforth to Barton section was dual carriageway trunk road numbered A1 until the Dishforth to Leeming section was upgraded to motorway in 2012, with the Leeming to Barton upgrade finally being completed in 2018. [10] [ better source needed ]

Related Research Articles

The A1, also known as the Great North Road, is the longest numbered road in the United Kingdom, at 410 miles (660 km). It connects London, the capital of England, with 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 the UK's (then) two mainland capital cities. It passes through or near north London, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Biggleswade, Eaton Socon, Buckden, Peterborough, Stamford, Grantham, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Doncaster, Pontefract, York, Wetherby, Ripon, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain road numbering scheme</span>

In Great Britain, there is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads. Each road is given a single letter and a subsequent number. Though this scheme was introduced merely to simplify funding allocations, it soon became used on maps and as a method of navigation. There are two sub-schemes in use: one for motorways, and another for non-motorway roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester-le-Street</span> Town in County Durham, England

Chester-le-Street is a market town in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It is located around 6 miles north of Durham and is also close to Newcastle upon Tyne. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tyneside</span> Metropolitan borough in England

North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It forms part of the greater Tyneside conurbation. North Tyneside Council is headquartered at Cobalt Park, Wallsend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A19 road</span> Road in Northern England

The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster, but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland northwards, the route was formerly the A108. In the past the route was known as the East of Snaith-York-Thirsk-Stockton-on-Tees-Sunderland Trunk Road. Most traffic joins the A19, heading for Teesside, from the A168 at Dishforth Interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A69 road</span> Major trunk road in northern England

The A69 is a major northern trunk road in England, running east–west across the Pennines, through the counties of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria. Originally, the road started in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne then later near Birtley, but since the creation of the A1 Western Bypass around Newcastle upon Tyne, it now starts at Denton Burn, a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A167 road</span> Road in north east England

The A167 and A167(M) is a road in North East England. It is partially a trunk road and partially a motorway, where it is commonly referred to as Newcastle Central Motorway. Most of the road’s route was formerly that of the A1, until it was re-routed with the opening of the A1(M) in the 1960s.

A shadow toll is a contractual payment made by a government per driver using a road to a private company that operates a road built or maintained using private finance initiative funding. Payments are based, at least in part, on the number of vehicles using a section of road, often over a 20- to 30-year period. The shadow tolls or per vehicle fees are paid directly to the company without intervention or direct payment from the users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A1081 road</span> Road in the south of England

The A1081 is a road in the south of England. It starts at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire and runs to High Barnet in Greater London via Harpenden, St Albans and London Colney, a distance of around 20.5 miles (33.0 km). For most of its length, the A1081 follows the route of the original A6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A1(M) motorway</span> Four separate motorway sections in England

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 capital of Scotland. The first section, the Doncaster Bypass, opened in 1961 and is one of the oldest sections of motorway in Britain. Construction of a new section of A1(M) between Leeming and Barton was completed on 29 March 2018, a year later than the anticipated opening in 2017 due to extensive archaeological excavations. Its completion linked the Barton to Washington section with the Darrington to Leeming Bar section, forming the longest A1(M) section overall and reducing the number of sections from five to four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birtley, Tyne and Wear</span> Town in North-East England

Birtley is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is situated to the south of Gateshead and is conjoined to Chester-le-Street across the county boundary in County Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A194 road</span> Road in Tyne and Wear, England

The A194 road is a road in Tyne and Wear, England. It runs northeast from its start at junction 65 of the A1(M) near Washington, and the first 3 miles (4.8 km) are motorway standard, designated the A194(M). There are intermediate junctions with the A182 and the A195 before the motorway section ends at the A184 junction. The junctions were unnumbered until 2013 when they were designated J1 to J3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A67 road</span> Road in England

The A67 is a road in England that links Bowes in County Durham with Crathorne in North Yorkshire. The road from Middlesbrough to Darlington was previously the A66 road, the road also starts and ends on the A66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A1058 road</span> Road in North Tyneside, England

The A1058, known locally as the Coast Road, is a major road in Newcastle upon Tyne and the adjoining borough of North Tyneside in the North East. It runs from the Newcastle Central Motorway to the coast, terminating between Whitley Bay and Tynemouth. From west to east it connects Newcastle city centre with Jesmond, Heaton, Wallsend, Battle Hill, Howdon, Meadow Well, North Shields, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth. The road has existed since December 1924, when it was opened by then-transport minister Wilfrid Ashley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of Mowbray</span> Region of North Yorkshire, England

The Vale of Mowbray is a plain in North Yorkshire, England. It is bounded by the Tees lowlands to the north, the North York Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east, the Vale of York to the south, and the Yorkshire Dales to the west. Northallerton, Catterick Garrison, and Thirsk are the largest settlements within the area. The Vale of Mowbray is distinguishable from the Vale of York by its meandering rivers and more undulating landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A1068 road</span> Road in northern England

The A1068 is a road in northern England that runs from Seaton Burn in North Tyneside to Alnwick in Northumberland. The section between Ellington and Alnmouth is signposted as part of the Northumberland Coastal Route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A168 road</span> Road in North Yorkshire, England

The A168 is a major road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs from Northallerton to Wetherby, acting as a local access road for the A1(M).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Tyne and Wear</span> Overview of transport in Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan area covering the cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland, as well as North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A186 road (England)</span> Road in Tyne and Wear, England

The A186 is a road in Tyne and Wear, England. It runs between the A1 Junction 75, and the eastern end of the A69 to the A192 in Whitley Bay. It follows the old A69 into Newcastle-upon-Tyne city centre.

The National Cycle Route 725, also known as the Great North Cycleway is a partially-complete regional cycling route that forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. "A1 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  2. "A6127 - Roader′s Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  3. "A6125 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "A19 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  5. "A1/via Tyne Tunnel - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  6. 1 2 "A194 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  7. "A184 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  8. "A69 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  9. 1 2 "A167 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk.
  10. "A1(M)/Darrington - Birtley - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki".