road to nowhere -- route guides -- A1

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about - exit list - photos

About the Road

Need anything be said about this road? This is the historical Great North Road, linking London with Edinburgh, and is the longest single-numbered road in the United Kingdom. Most of the road is dualled, from north London all the way to Morpeth in Norhumberland, and also from Innerwick to the edge of Edinburgh. Plans to dual the section in between had been cancelled as they were deemed to be too unimportant.

The A1 also has numerous motorway sections, designated A1(M), although the dualled section east of Edinburgh is designated a "Special Road" (the legal name for a motorway), but still keeps its A1 tag.

Facts and Figures

also known as:	The Great North Road
starts at:	Central London
primary destinations en route:	Hatfield Welwyn Garden City Stevenage Peterborough Stamford Grantham Newark-on-Trent Doncaster Pontefract Wetherby Scotch Corner Darlington Durham Chester-le-Street Gateshead Newcastle-upon-Tyne Morpeth Alnwick Berwick-upon-Tweed Dunbar
finishes at:	Edinburgh
length:	409 miles
motorway junctions:	M1, M25, A14(M), M18, M62, M1 (again), A66(M), A194(M)
primary route junctions:	A501, A503, A406, A41, A414, A1001, A602, A6141, A421, A428, A14, A605, A1139, A47, A43, A16, A606, A607, A52, A17, A46, A57, A614, A630, A635, A638, A162, A63, A64, A58, A661, A168, A59, A61, A66, A68, A167 (twice), A689, A688, A690, A693, A1231, A692, A184, A69, A696, A19, A697, A1068, A720, A199
E-Roads:	E15

Construction History

1921	A1 route designated
1927	Barnet Bypass
1927	Hatfield Bypass
1960	Stamford Bypass
1961	Retford Bypass
1961	Doncaster Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 34-38)
1962	Stevenage Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 6-8)
1965	Darlington Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 56-59)
1967	Baldock Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 8-10)
1969	Durham Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 59-63)
1970	Birtley Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 63-65)
1971	St Neots Bypass
1973	Stanborough - Welwyn upgrade (as A1(M) - Jct 4-6)
1986	Roestock - Stanborough upgrade (as A1(M) - Jct 2-4)
1995	Walshford - Dishforth upgrade (as A1(M) - Jct 47-49)
1998	Alconbury - Peterborough upgrade (as A1(M) Jct 14-17)
1999	Aberford Bypass (as A1(M) - Jct 44-45)
2005	Darrington - Hook Moor upgrade (as A1(M) - Jct 39-44)
2005	Wetherby - Walshford upgrade (as A1(M) - Jct 46-47)

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