81-664: The A697 is a road that can be used an alternative to the A1 for those travelling between Scotland and England via the North East . It connects Morpeth on the A1 to the A68 at Oxton , near Edinburgh . The road runs via Wooler and Coldstream , and passes through a largely rural area of the Scottish Borders . Stretches of the route overlay the Devil's Causeway , a Roman road . The A697
162-513: A BBC News report said that the section between Chiswick and Hanger Lane was the most congested in Britain. The North Circular Road has a wide variety of styles and standards of junctions connecting to other roads. These range from the complex, grade-separated design at Charlie Brown's near Woodford, to at-grade junctions with traffic lights. The original road contained entirely at-grade junctions; many of these were improved and grade separated during
243-450: A 1.9-mile (3 km) section from Spott Wood to Oswald Dean in 1999, 1.2-mile (2 km) sections from Bowerhouse to Spott Road and from Howburn to Houndwood in 2002–2003 and the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) "A1 Expressway", from Haddington and Dunbar in 2004. The total cost of these works was £50 million. Plans to dual the single carriageway section of road north of Newcastle upon Tyne were shelved in 2006 as they were not considered
324-665: 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 London (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
405-505: 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 . It was also announced in 2014 that new technology would be implemented to bring
486-458: A decision about a Development Consent Order signing off on National Highways' plans until December 2022. 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. It
567-410: A general bypass of Central London, it would connect the communities of Edmonton , Tottenham and Walthamstow , and allow former munitions factories to be reused for industrial purposes. Further west, industrial work increased around Wembley to cater for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition , while former military factories at Willesden , Hendon and Acton would also benefit from being connected by
648-478: A major upgrade of the Henlys Corner interchange. An underpass was originally proposed but this was heavily criticised by local residents, and would have been very costly, and it was subsequently scrapped. The upgrade scheme improved on the current junction by adding extra lanes and allowing easier left and right turns, speeding up queue times. Cycle paths and safer pedestrian crossings were included. In July 2013,
729-409: A new corridor to the North East, and reducing congestion on the M1 around Sheffield and Leeds . This is the only missing link of motorway on the strategic M1 / M18 / A1(M) route London to Washington. The same announcement said that the road from Scotswood to North Brunton would be widened to three lanes each way, with four lanes each way between some junctions. The announcement then said that
810-530: 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. The A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme, also known as the Huntingdon Bypass required a redesigned interchange at Brampton . 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
891-477: A pub on the North Circular Road on 2 May 1964. The original Ace Cafe was on the North Circular Road. Open 24 hours a day, it catered for late-night party-goers and boy racers. It was a popular place for cars to be hot-wired and stolen, as drivers knew they could make a quick getaway. IWG founder Mark Dixon's first business on returning to Britain after an extended time abroad was a hot-dog stand on
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#1732851728600972-457: 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 . Under a DBFO contract, sections from Wetherby to Walshford and Darrington to Hook Moor were opened in 2005 and 2006. Between September 2006 and October 2009 six roundabouts on
1053-822: A roundabout with the A13 Newham Way/Alfred's Way in Beckton . To reach the Woolwich Ferry , traffic must follow local roads to the ferry terminal – the A1020 Royal Docks Road, and the A117 named successively as Woolwich Manor Way, Albert Road and Pier Road. The Woolwich Ferry leads across the River Thames , connecting with the eastern end of the South Circular Road on the other side of the river. The junction with
1134-643: 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
1215-559: A section east of Southgate used existing streets. By the end of the decade, the area surrounding the Park Royal estate had become the largest industrial estate in the south of England, and the London Passenger Transport Board was receiving regular complaints about the excess traffic levels. Due to laxer laws that allowed housing to be built on major roads, as London suburbs developed, residential properties were built on
1296-770: A task force set up by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson proposed that long sections of the North Circular (as well as the South Circular ) should be put underground in road tunnels, freeing up space on the surface to provide public space, extensive cycle routes, and better links to existing communities currently severed by the road. Caroline Pidgeon , deputy chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, responded, "It doesn't make sense and it won't add up – [there's a] £30bn estimate, but I'm sure it'll cost at least double that, and
1377-602: Is 14 miles (23 km), and opened in 1998. The Doncaster By-pass opened in 1961 and is one of the oldest sections of motorway in Britain. It is 15 miles (24 km) long, and runs from Blyth to Carcroft . The Darrington to Gateshead section was constructed between 1965 and 2018. It is 93 miles (150 km), and opened in sections: Download coordinates as: A5109 – Edgware A5109 – Edgware (M4) , (M40) , (M23) , (M20) , Heathrow , Gatwick , Stansted A1081 – Barnet South Mimms Services North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially
1458-647: Is a six-lane dual carriageway that connects the industrial estates in the area, and passes beneath the West Coast Main Line near Stonebridge Park . Beyond this, there is a junction with IKEA and the Neasden temple to the southeast, and the road runs alongside open land south of the Welsh Harp Reservoir . Beyond the reservoir, there is a large interchange with the Edgware Road ( A5 ) and junction 1 of
1539-541: Is a trunk road with alternating sections of dual and single carriageway. The table below summarises the road as motorway and non-motorway sections. Most of the non-motorway sections do not have junction numbers, with the exception of the Newcastle Western Bypass which continues the junction numbering of the A1(M). A 13-mile (21 km) section of the road in North Yorkshire , from Walshford to Dishforth ,
1620-725: Is around 15 miles (24 km) shorter and an average time of 23 minutes quicker than travelling up the A1, according to figures from the RAC route planner. The road runs through This England road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . A1 road (Great Britain) [REDACTED] M25 [REDACTED] A14 [REDACTED] A47 [REDACTED] M18 [REDACTED] M62 [REDACTED] M1 [REDACTED] A64 [REDACTED] A168 [REDACTED] A66 [REDACTED] A66(M) [REDACTED] A194(M) [REDACTED] A69 [REDACTED] A19 The A1 , also known as
1701-677: Is generally referred to as the North Circular throughout for route planning purposes. The route is mostly grade-separated dual carriageway from the A40 at Hanger Lane to the A13 in Beckton except for the Drury Way/Brentfield Road junction, the Golders Green Road/Brent Street junction, Henlys Corner and the section from Bounds Green to Green Lanes. In areas where improvements made slowest progress and upgrades are unlikely,
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#17328517286001782-696: Is the Southern Quadrant Link Road (SQLR), which will complete the relief road and is expected to be completed in 2025. 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 In December 2014
1863-411: Is the oldest stretch of two-lane motorway still in service, would be upgraded to dual three lanes. This will relieve local congestion and provide the capacity needed to make the A1 an alternative (and better) strategic route to the north east. In 2003 a proposal for a bypass of Sandy and Beeston , Bedfordshire , was put forward as a green-lighted scheme as part of a government multi-modal study, with
1944-573: The A13 north of Woolwich, though without a direct link to the ferry. The road's design varies from six-lane dual carriageway to urban streets; the latter, although short, cause traffic congestion in London and are regularly featured on local traffic reports , particularly at Bounds Green . The uncertainty of development has caused urban decay and property blight along its route, and led to criticism over its poor pollution record. Several London Borough Councils have set up regeneration projects to improve
2025-447: 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 didn't take place, and instead features a large amount of restrictions, similar to a motorway. This scheme was opened in December 2019. The new junction is now complete on
2106-585: The A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular ) is a 25.7-mile-long (41.4 km) ring road around Central London . It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connecting various suburbs and other trunk roads in the region. Together with its counterpart, the South Circular Road , it mostly forms a ring road around central London, except for crossing of
2187-489: The East Coast Main Line , and continues as Telford Road towards Bounds Green . Traffic on the North Circular Road must turn right from Telford Road into Bowes Road, which causes problems with heavy goods vehicles . The road continues past densely packed housing and business areas before widening at Green Lanes and assuming the North Circular Road name again. At Great Cambridge Interchange, its most northerly point,
2268-655: The Great Britain road numbering scheme . 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 . A combination of these were used by the Anglo-Saxons as the route from London to York, and together became known as Ermine Street . Ermine Street later became known as
2349-543: 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:
2430-652: The Great Western Main Line west of Paddington to the Hanger Lane gyratory system, a large roundabout on top of the Western Avenue (the A40 ) with Hanger Lane tube station . This is one of the busiest junctions in London, used by 10,000 vehicles an hour. The A406 runs on purpose-built road to the north of the Hanger Lane Gyratory, and is referred to as "North Circular Road" on street signs. The road
2511-655: The M1 motorway at Staples Corner , and a junction for the Brent Cross Shopping Centre at the Brent Cross Interchange (joining the A41 from Finchley ). This section of the North Circular was used for filming the car chasing sequences in Withnail and I . Northeast of Brent Cross, at Henlys Corner , the North Circular briefly shares carriageways with the A1 , which joins it from the northwest and leaves it to
A697 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-556: The M11 and A13 ) opened in 1987. Previously, the A406 extended along Southend Road and Woodford Avenue as far east as Gants Hill . The current route of the North Circular Road turns south, passing Eastern Avenue ( A12 ) on a flyover at the Redbridge roundabout . It passes Romford Road (the historic Roman Road from London to Colchester ) to the west of Ilford and London Road, Barking , and ends at
2673-461: The River Thames , which is done by the Woolwich Ferry . The road was constructed in the Interwar period to connect local industrial communities and by pass London. It was upgraded after World War II , and was at one point planned to become a motorway as part of the controversial and ultimately cancelled London Ringways scheme. In the early 1990s, the road was extended to bypass Barking and meet
2754-514: 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 8 miles (13 km) north of the Black Cat roundabout ) and just north of Morpeth . This project cost £96 million. Upgrading the 6.2 miles (10 km) of road to dual three-lane motorway standard between
2835-803: The A1 runs on modern bypasses around Stamford , Grantham , Newark-on-Trent , Retford , Bawtry , Doncaster , Knottingley , Garforth , Wetherby , Knaresborough , Boroughbridge , Scotch Corner , Darlington , Newton Aycliffe , Durham and Chester-le-Street , past the Angel of the North sculpture and the Metrocentre in Gateshead , through the western suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne , Morpeth , Alnwick , Berwick-upon-Tweed , into Scotland at Marshall Meadows , past Haddington and Musselburgh before arriving in Edinburgh at
2916-462: 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
2997-561: 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. In the "Road investment strategy" announced to Parliament by the Department for Transport and Secretary of State for Transport on 1 December 2014, planning will begin to upgrade
3078-647: The A13 has been built to enable the North Circular to be continued across the junction to the Thames Gateway Bridge if and when it is built. Proposals for a route avoiding Central London had been in place since the early 20th century due to increasing levels of traffic. In 1910, the London Traffic Division of the Board of Trade had built up schemes for new roads, including what became the North Circular Road, which
3159-558: The A406 crosses Great Cambridge Road ( A10 ). The disused Angel Road railway station is partially located beneath the flyover at Angel Road, in an area marked for redevelopment known as Meridian Water . This leads onto the Lea Valley Viaduct that provides a safe crossing of the River Lea 's flood plain. The viaduct is part of the original construction and was one of the first of its kind to be built using reinforced concrete . After
3240-561: 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
3321-632: The East End of Princes Street 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 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
A697 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-568: 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. 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 c. 1954 that they were renumbered A1. The Chester-le-Street bypass, opened in 1931,
3483-748: 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
3564-431: The Ministry of Transport planned to increase the capacity of the North Circular Road, grade separating as many junctions as possible, particularly those connecting with important arterial routes. In the 1960s the Greater London Council developed the London Ringways Plan to construct a series of circular and radial motorways throughout London with the hope of easing traffic congestion in the central area. Under this plan
3645-708: The North Circular Road has blighted properties on and near it, particularly around Bounds Green. Around 1972, approximately 400 homes on the road were compulsorily purchased by the Greater London Council in conjunction with widening schemes that were then cancelled. The properties have suffered from a lack of long-term care. Since TfL took responsibility for the road, land for future schemes has been left dormant, resulting in urban decay with derelict properties. Compulsorily purchased properties were let out to various short-term tenants, which led to them housing prostitutes and migrant workers living in increasing squalor. Pedestrians have become too frightened to use underpasses along
3726-408: The North Circular Road was to be improved to dual-carriageway standard throughout the majority of its length by the late 1970s. The Ringway projects were extremely unpopular and caused widespread protests , which led to the cancellation of the plans in 1972, particularly after the Westway had opened in the face of large-scale protest two years earlier. In 1974, the MOT scaled back plans to improve
3807-449: The North Circular Road, though by the end of the decade they had revised plans to improve the route to dual carriageway throughout without any property frontages. In 1979, the Ministry of Transport planned to improve the Great Cambridge Road Roundabout with a £17 million scheme that would have demolished over 100 houses and shops. This was cancelled and replaced with a straightforward underpass in 1983, costing £22.3 million. The section of
3888-444: The North Circular Road. The land used for the route was mostly cheap, which encouraged further works and factories to be built by the road. Purpose-built sections were designed to dual carriageway standards, including a 27-foot (8.2 m) wide carriageway accompanied by 9-foot (2.7 m) verges. The original route ran from Chiswick to Southgate , and was open to traffic by the 1930s. Although it mostly ran on newly built road,
3969-404: The North Circular Road. The original purpose-built road had been designed with no speed limit, as was typically the case in the 1920s, but by 1951 a 30 mph speed limit was enforced along the route. In 1946 the North Circular Road became a trunk road , funded from a national budget set by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) rather than a local one. After reviewing traffic conditions in 1961,
4050-404: The North Circular in his constituency. Friends of the Earth have complained about rising costs and delays to junction and safety improvements. In 2003, environment cabinet member Terry Neville said that TfL's proposed improvements for improving the North Circular were "a sham" and that the local council wanted a six-lane motorway to properly solve congestion. The uncertainty over the future of
4131-452: The North Circular south of Charlie Brown's Roundabout in South Woodford is the "South Woodford to Barking Relief Road". Prior to its opening, the signposted North Circular route from the Waterworks Roundabout to the Woolwich Ferry was on local roads via Whipps Cross, Wanstead, Manor Park and Beckton. As well as delays for the ferry, traffic could also be held due to closure of bridges in the Royal Albert and King George V Docks . The road
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#17328517286004212-424: The North Circular was rated as Britain's noisiest road by the UK Noise Association. In 2013, the road was named in a BBC report as being the most polluted in London, including the highest surveyed levels of benzene and nitrogen dioxide . A report in the Sunday Times , referring to the North Circular, said "if you want to pull back the lid of your convertible and drink in the fresh air, look elsewhere". In 2019,
4293-418: 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 , 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 with
4374-445: The Sterling corner junction: Biggleswade south, Biggleswade north, Sandy A603, Black Cat A428/A4211, lastly Buckden, after which there are no more roundabouts for 276 mi (444 km) until the Berwick A1167. The Black Cat roundabout is due to be removed in 2025. Most of the English section of the A1 is a series of alternating sections of primary route, dual carriageway and motorway. From Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh it
4455-703: The coach routes, providing accommodation, stabling for the horses and replacement mounts. Few of the surviving coaching inns can be seen while driving on the A1, because the modern route now bypasses the towns with the inns. The A1 runs from New Change in the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral to the centre of Edinburgh. It shares its London terminus with the A40 , in the City area of Central London . It runs out of London via St. Martin's Le Grand and Aldersgate Street , through Islington (where Goswell Road and Upper Street form part of its route), up Holloway Road , through Highgate , and Barnet . The road enters Hertfordshire just before Potters Bar , near
4536-438: The environment for communities close to the road. The North Circular Road forms the northern part of a ring-road around Central London . It has seen substantially more investment than its counterpart, the South Circular Road , and consequently runs on more purpose-built road than urban streets, often coupled with demolition of existing houses and urban infrastructure. Although the route has alternative names at some points, it
4617-516: The junction with the M25 at the South Mimms Services. The route here becomes the A1(M) and subsequently passes through Hatfield , Welwyn , Stevenage , Baldock . But it once again becomes a dual carriageway from Baldock Junction 10 through Biggleswade , 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,
4698-476: The junctions along the route. Improvements were also made to walkways and cycle paths along this route. However, unlike elsewhere on the North Circular, the new junctions are not grade-separated and have been designed with environmental concerns in mind. The opened scheme is a reduced specification from 1960s plans, which projected this section of the North Circular to be dual carriageway. In April 2011, after many years of proposals and delays, construction began on
4779-435: The late 1970s and early 1980s. There are four bus routes that largely serve their routes on the North Circular Road: The North Circular Road is mentioned in the poet Louis MacNeice 's 1938 piece, Autumn Journal . In it, he describes the features along the road, including factories, prefabricated buildings, bungalows and petrol pumps "like intransigent gangs of idols". Keith Moon played his first gig with The Who at
4860-489: The original names such as Gunnersbury Avenue and Bowes Road are used. The road begins in Gunnersbury at the Chiswick flyover (junction 1 of the M4 ), from which the South Circular Road (A205) heads south over Kew Bridge, and the A4 heads east towards Chiswick and west towards Brentford. The first section runs along Gunnersbury Avenue through Gunnersbury Park to Ealing Common , with a mix of single and dual carriageways, where it becomes Hanger Lane . The road crosses
4941-403: The profile of the north-east and be good for business. In his Autumn Statement on 5 December 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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 ), Gateshead at a cost of £64 m and create parallel link roads between
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#17328517286005022-404: The reality is we'll lose homes around these roads and so on." The North Circular Road has received regular criticism over its poor safety record and piecemeal improvement schemes due to a lack of funding since it opened to traffic. In 1989, Michael Portillo , then a Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate , complained that 367 houses were scheduled for demolition as part of improvements to
5103-489: 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 delayed
5184-528: 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 , Stevenage , Baldock , Biggleswade , Peterborough , Stamford , Grantham , Newark-on-Trent , Retford , Doncaster , Pontefract , York , Wetherby , Ripon , Darlington , Durham , Gateshead , Newcastle upon Tyne , Morpeth , Alnwick , Berwick-upon-Tweed , Dunbar , Haddington , Musselburgh , and east Edinburgh . It
5265-432: 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 and Washington, Tyne and Wear 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
5346-421: 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 to Algeciras . The A1 is the latest in a series of routes north from London to York and beyond. It was designated in 1921 by the Ministry of Transport under
5427-489: 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 , 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
5508-451: The road, but received criticism for not approving earlier plans for widening the often heavily congested road at critical sections. In 2009, it was announced that major works between the Bounds Green Road and Green Lanes junctions would finally go ahead, having been proposed for over 90 years, and was completed the following year. The work improved the carriageway between these junctions, widening Telford Road to two lanes and improving all of
5589-539: The road, particularly to access North Middlesex Hospital . Areas close to the road, such as the alleys behind properties on the Telford Road section, have suffered from fly tipping and anti-social behaviour. In 2011, Enfield Borough Council proposed a North Circular Area Action Plan, which would regenerate the area immediately around Telford Road and Bowes Road, and encourage growth. This includes new pedestrian crossings and improved access to existing open spaces, including Arnos Park and Broomfield Park . In 2002,
5670-613: The safety and performance of the A1 between Peterborough and the M25 , including whether to upgrade the old dual carriageway section to motorway standard. Some sections of the A1 have been upgraded to motorway standard. These are known as the A1(M) and include: The M25 to Stotfold section is 23 miles (37 km), 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. The Alconbury to Peterborough section
5751-529: The southeast to head into Central London. The junction complex also serves the Finchley Road and pedestrian traffic, and consequently is a major bottleneck on the route. Transport for London have invested in the junction, including a special hands-free pedestrian crossing for the local Jewish community, who can then cross the road on the Sabbath . The road passes north of St Pancras and Islington Cemetery towards Friern Barnet and Muswell Hill . The road narrows to two-lane single carriageway to pass under
5832-581: The viaduct the road becomes Southend Road, passing north of Walthamstow , and immediately before the Crooked Billet junction, the former site of Walthamstow Stadium . It continues eastward, cutting through a southern section of Epping Forest and meeting the Woodford New Road at Waterworks Corner , before an elevated junction with the M11 motorway and Southend Road heading to Gants Hill . The South Woodford to Barking Relief Road (the section between
5913-600: Was designated by the Ministry of Transport 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 Darlington . 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 in London and Morpeth in Northumberland,
5994-507: Was designed to skirt the extent of urban development along suburbs. The North Circular Road was originally designed as an unemployment relief scheme following the First World War . Various manufacturing industries, including furniture production, had moved away from the East End in the early 20th century and started to be based in areas on the fringes of outer London development. As well as
6075-546: Was expected to be completed by the end of 2009. 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. It had originally been proposed that the road would be upgraded to motorway from Dishforth to Barton (between Scotch Corner and Darlington ), which
6156-556: Was finally dropped in 1990. The Hatfield cut-and-cover 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 and the M3 extension through Twyford Down ). The inns on the road, many of which still survive, were staging posts on
6237-495: Was originally planned to be a continuation of the M11, but the standard of road was decreased to a basic dual carriageway. It was proposed to be built in the 1980s concurrently with the controversial M11 link road . The North Circular Road ceased to be a trunk road in 2000, when control of all roads inside Greater London passed to Transport for London (TfL). In 2004, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone promised limited improvements to
6318-421: Was the first bypass to be built as a dual carriageway. In 1960 Stamford , Biggleswade and Doncaster 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
6399-433: 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
6480-565: 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. It was also announced that the Doncaster By-pass, which
6561-473: Was upgraded to motorway standard in 1995. Neolithic remains and a Roman fort were discovered. A 13-mile (21 km) section of the road from Alconbury to Peterborough was upgraded to motorway standard at a cost of £128 million (£284 million as of 2024), which opened in 1998 requiring moving the memorial to Napoleonic prisoners buried at Norman Cross . A number of sections between Newcastle and Edinburgh were dualled between 1999 and 2004, including
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