A1(M) Dishforth - Leeming

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Type: New road under motorway restrictions
Status: Completed
Authority: Highways Agency
Cost: £ 325m
Finance: Central government/DBFO
Timescale: 2009-2012
Length: 22 km (13.7 miles)

Scheme Outline

Upgrade of the existing two-lane all purpose dual carriageway A1 to three-lane motorway standard, from Dishforth (the northern terminus of the North Yorkshire motorway) to Leeming Bar, approximately half-way to the next motorway section at Barton.

The original intention, to upgrade the whole section from Dishforth to Barton in one scheme, was replaced with two separate schemes to be completed one after the other. The Leeming to Barton scheme was then dropped due to government spending cuts.

Progress

14 October 2004	Prelimenary excavation works are under way to determine the scale of archaeological works required at Catterick and the best alignment for the section south to Dishforth.
14 May 2005	Public exhibitions on the plans to upgrade the section between Dishforth and Barton to three-lane motorway are held. The improvement will cost £325m.
14 October 2007	It now looks clear that the scheme will begin in spring 2008.
14 March 2008	The scheme has now been put back (again) to Autumn 2008.
2 November 2008	The High Court challenge period expires on November 14th 2008 and work is expected to start on the southern section in March 2009.
15 February 2009	Tree clearance has started in earnest with sites around the A61 and Leeming Bar well under way. The Highways Agency website shows long term roadworks, due to run until February 2012, from 1 March.
25 April 2009	Construction of the section between Dishforth and Leeming officially commenced on 26 March 2009.
26 May 2009	Many old farm buildings have been cleared to the east of the A1, and all current junctions show signs of alterations.
5 January 2010	Rainton Services officially closed on 3 January. B6267 junction has been half completed, with a new roundabout added and streetlights on it. There are also new sliproads on the northbound side of the A1. Further south, the A61 junction is slowly getting done, with the new southbound slip-road tarmacked, and the current crossroads on the Thirsk side of the A1 slowly turning into a roundabout shape with some streetlights on it.
10 May 2010	Progress happening on new bridges for the south carriageway over the rivers. Rainton Services is still standing!
5 June 2010	A lot of the new bridges are complete or nearly complete and the extreme southern section near the A61 junction now has the central concrete barriers in position with a lot of tarmac down already.
21 October 2010	According to yesterday's DfT press release following the autumn spending review, the proposed upgrade of the section from Leeming to Barton has now been cancelled. This page has been renamed 'A1(M) Dishforth-Leeming'.
16 July 2011	The new northbound carriageway is now complete between Dishforth and the Baldersby junction, with new signage also in place.
12 August 2011	The entire stretch between Dishforth and Leeming will be closed to traffic for 13 hours this weekend (13/14 August 2011) to allow the construction of the new Butcher House Bridge, near Sinderby, to be completed.
29 September 2011	According to the London Gazette, the section between Dishforth and Baldersby is due to open fully to traffic on 6 October 2011.
12 October 2011	The Dishforth to Baldersby section opened fully to traffic on 6 October 2011, six months ahead of schedule.
14 March 2012	According to today's London Gazette, the section from Baldersby to Leeming will open for use as a motorway in three stages. The northbound carriageway will open first on 19 March (6.1 mile southern section) and 28 March (4.0 mile northern section). The southbound carriageway will then open fully on 31 March 2012.
1 April 2012	The road is now fully open to traffic. Some offline work will continue until the end of May.