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To call the A1(M) a through route is to make a mistake. The A1 of course runs from London to Edinburgh, and over the years a few bits and pieces of it have been bypassed by the A1(M), as far north as Newcastle.
The roads plan in the 1960s came under fire because it wasn't committed to motorways, but instead to a combination of motorways and all-purpose roads. Worst affected was the A1, which was almost all dualled and many sections grade-separated in the 1960s as far as Newcastle, but only a few bits were done as motorway and the rest as all-purpose road. Right now the A1(M) makes up the following sections of the route:
- London (M25) to Letchworth - 23 miles
- Alconbury to Peterborough - 14 miles
- Doncaster Bypass - 15 miles
- Darrington to Bramham - 11 miles
- Wetherby to Dishforth - 17 miles
- Barton to Washington - 30 miles
In the early 1990s, the government had plans to upgrade the whole lot south of Washington to motorway standard, and started work with two isolated sections - Alconbury to Peterborough and Walshford to Dishforth. The plan was then abruptly dropped in a spending review in 1996.
Recently, the remaining all-purpose sections in West Yorkshire are getting more attention. The road there was upgraded to dual two-lane standard with complete grade separation in the 1960s, but was constructed as cheaply as possible, and at current traffic levels is just much too dangerous. Work is underway to replace it with dual three-lane motorway. Sections are already open from Darrington to Micklefield, bypassing Ferrybridge and providing a free-flowing junction with the M62, and between Wetherby and Walshford.
In 2006 work begins on upgrading the seven miles of A1 that will be left between Bramham and Wetherby. Plans are currently being published for the sections either side, in North and South Yorkshire, to deal with Red House to Darrington and Dishforth to Barton. This will complete the motorway connection to Newcastle and the North East.
Many people ask whether the other substandard sections - Letchworth to Alconbury and Peterborough to Doncaster - will be upgraded to motorway. There are no formal plans to do this as yet, but hints appear here and there that it is being considered for some point in the future.
Factfile
Destinations in brackets are passed by non-motorway sections of A1.
| Start | London (M25) |
| Finish | Gateshead (A1) |
| Passes | Hatfield, Stevenage, (Huntingdon), Peterborough, (Stamford), (Grantham), (Newark), Doncaster, Pontefract, (Wetherby), Ripon, Darlington, Durham |
| Length | 300 miles |
| Terminates | M1 |
| Spurs | A66(M), A194(M) |
| Meets | M18, M62 |
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With thanks to Clive Jones, Chris "c2R", John Mohan and George Carty for information in this section.
