It has been a fairly disruptive 12 months along the stretch of the A1 that runs through Rutland and Stamford, with many local villages bearing the brunt of night traffic as vehicles divert around the restrictions and closures. Is there any end in sight for local residents and drivers? We asked National Highways what has been going on over the past year.
The A1 is the UK’s longest numbered road, stretching for 410 miles from London to Edinburgh and passing through 17 counties on the way. It’s heritage goes way back to Roman times and the construction of what we now call Ermine Street in the south and Dere Street in the north. Through the Dark Ages, Medieval Britain and the birth of the stagecoach in the 17th Century, these roads eventually became The Great North Road. Finally, in 1921, the Ministry of Transport created the A1 and it has morphed over the decades to become the country’s longest major traffic route. As such, the A1 requires a constant level of maintenance and repair which is now carried out by the government agency, National Highways.
For those who live near the stretch of the A1 that runs through Rutland and South Lincolnshire, it has been a pretty hectic 12 months, with regular overnight closures, speed restrictions, and diversions running through local villages throughout the wee hours. So what has been going on and when can we expect the disruption to end? Rutland and Stamford Sound contacted National Highways Programme development Manager, Karen Moore, to find out:
“We appreciate roadworks can be disruptive” Karen says “but it’s important we do them so the A1 remains safe, serviceable and dependable for the tens of thousands of people who use this vital route every day.”
“We have had a number of improvement schemes taking place on the A1 around Stamford over the last year. These have included a programme of resurfacing on the southbound carriageway between Wothorpe and South Witham that started last July and is due to end later this month, and a safety barrier upgrade between Wothorpe and junction 17 at Peterborough. This started last July as well and is due to be complete this July. As part of that work we’ve also been renewing road signs and carrying out other maintenance. By using the same traffic management we can minimise disruption for drivers.
“We’ve also carried out patching of the road surface in a number of areas along the A1, including Stamford. We have a little more to do in the area but it should be complete by early summer. All diversion routes are agreed with the emergency services and local authorities in advance and we clearly sign our strategic diversion routes to try and dissuade vehicles, particularly HGVs from rat running through smaller communities.”
Finally, Karen adds: “We thank people for their patience while we continue to maintain the A1 for the safety of all road users.”
Residents who wish to learn more about the work being carried out can click here: East - Road maintenance work - National Highways
And daily closure details can be found here: Road closure report - National Highways
Our thanks to National Highways for their assistance with this article.
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