The

A1 road A list of roads designated A1, sorted by alphabetical order of country. * A01 highway (Afghanistan), a long ring road or beltway connecting Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar * A1 motorway (Albania), connecting Durrës and Kukës * A001 highwa ...

around

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

and

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

after arriving from the south as the

A1(M) A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...

from its origin in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, currently runs from the A1(M) terminus at Birtley. It then swings to the west of both Gateshead and Newcastle via Coal House,

Lobley Hill Lobley Hill is located in the west of the old County Borough of Gateshead within the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, North East England having been previously part of the parish of Whickham. In its Demographic Profile for ...

, Metrocentre, Swalwell, Blaydon Bridge,

West Denton West Denton is an area in the western part of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The ...

Fawdon Fawdon is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is also close to the A1 western bypass. The population of the ward is 10,890, reducing to 10,090 at the 2011 Census, 5.7% of the total population of Newcastle upon Tyne. Car ownership in ...

and

Wideopen Wideopen, also occasionally spelled Wide Open, is a village in the North Tyneside metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England, around north of Newcastle. Wideopen adjoins the settlements of Seaton Burn, Brunswick Village and Hazlerigg ...

Seaton Burn Seaton Burn is a village in Tyne and Wear, England to the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and adjacent to Wideopen which is just south of it. The A1 used to pass through the village but now bypasses the village just to the west, where it meets the ...

interchange before continuing north towards

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. However, the A1 has followed a number of different routes in the Newcastle area, matching road developments aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

Historic routes

Pre-1977 The Great North Road and later the first incarnation of the A1 passed directly through

Low Fell Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay, it is bordered by Sheriff Hill/Deckham to the east, Saltwell/Bensham to the w ...

Gosforth Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of New ...

and

before rejoining the current A1 at

. The Great North Road was effectively diverted from the

Swing Bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

to the

Tyne Bridge The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...

when it opened on 25 February 1928, the A1 passing up Pilgrim Street and

Northumberland Street Northumberland Street is a major shopping street in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North East of England. It is home to a wide range of different retailers, banks and cafes, and in terms of rental per square foot, Northumberland Street ...

. The later first incarnation of Newcastle's Central Motorway built during the 1970s and passing just to the east of Newcastle City Centre, was initially numbered A1(M). The portion of Great North Road through Gateshead and Newcastle has had a number of designations since it ceased being the A1 in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, it was numbered A6127 between Birtley and Newcastle (the Newcastle Central Motorway being renumbered A6127(M) at this time) and A6125 between Newcastle and Seaton Burn—both road numbers are now redundant. Since 1993, the Birtley to Newcastle section has formed part of the

A167 The A167 and A167(M) is a road in North East England. It is partially a trunk road and partially a motorway, where it is commonly referred to as Newcastle Central Motorway. Most of the road’s route was formerly that of the A1, until it was ...

(the Central Motorway being renumbered A167(M)) and the Newcastle to Seaton Burn A6125 section has been the B1318. 1977 to 1993 After the opening of the

Tyne Tunnel The Tyne Tunnel is the name given to two 2-lane vehicular toll tunnels under the River Tyne in North East England. Originally opened in 1967 and expanded in 2011, the tunnels connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North S ...

on 19 October 1967, the main route for traffic around Gateshead and Newcastle was diverted to the east. With completion of the A1(M) through

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

in the 1970s, from 1977 onward the A1 ran as the A1(M) from Birtley past the north of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

to the Newcastle Road / Leam Lane junction near Wardley (this section is now numbered A194(M)). It then ran east to Testo's Roundabout near

West Boldon West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

, following what is now a section of the A184. At Testos Roundabout, the A1 turned north following what is now the northern section of the A19 towards

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

and the

. North of the Tyne Tunnel, the A1 passed through

Howdon Howdon is a largely residential area in the eastern part of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. It consists of High Howdon and the smaller settlement of East Howdon. Much of the High Howdon area was formerly called Willington prior to post-World W ...

, before it continued in a north-westerly direction, through North Tyneside past

Killingworth Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town in North Tyneside, England. Killingworth was built as a planned town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the Township. Other nearby towns and ...

and

Cramlington Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 6 miles (9 kilometres) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of its city centre. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons. T ...

, rejoining the current A1, just north of Newcastle at Seaton Burn. Again, this section of road has been redesignated A19. The section of road now forming the A19 between Testo's Roundabout and Seaton Burn was numbered the A108 (encompassing also the A19 Sunderland bypass) prior to it being numbered the A1 then A19 as detailed above. 1993 onwards The A1 officially assumed its western route in 1993, with completion of the Newcastle Western Bypass and opening of the Blaydon Bridge on 3 December 1990. The Gateshead Western Bypass, forming the southern part of this western route, was renumbered from A69 to its current A1 number.

Related changes to the A1 in Yorkshire and County Durham

Historically, the A1 followed its current route to just north of

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the mai ...

, then following the route of the current A168 at

Dishforth Dishforth is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Dishforth translates from Old English as dic-ford; a ford by a dike or ditch. The population of the parish taken at the 2001 census as 719 and had ...

to Topcliffe (south west of

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological fin ...

. It then followed the route of the current

, crossing the A61 near

Carlton Miniott Carlton Miniott, formerly Carlton Islebeck is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, on the A61 road to the immediate west of Thirsk, north of York. According to the 2001 census it had a populatio ...

, then continuing as the A167 via

Kirby Wiske Kirby Wiske is an English village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire. It lies beside the River Wiske, about north-west of Thirsk. History The village appears in the 1086 ''Domesday Book'' as Kirkebi in the Allerton ...

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...

Great Smeaton Great Smeaton is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District, Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on elevated ground near the River Wiske, which is a tributary of the River Swale. The parish population at the Unite ...

Dalton-on-Tees Dalton-on-Tees is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, near the boundary with County Durham. According to the 2001 Census there were 318 people living in the parish (including Eryholme) in 120 ...

to the border between

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

and

, crossing the Tees at

Croft-on-Tees Croft-on-Tees is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It has also been known as Croft Spa, and from which the former Croft Spa railway station took its name. It lies north-north west of the coun ...

. Beyond Croft-on-Tees, the original A1 continued to follow the current route of the A167 through

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

, and

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at Sun ...

before reaching Birtley. Until 1993, the Chester-le-Street to Birtley section was the southern portion of the A6127 before being renumbered A167. This section is now bypassed by the

from

to Birtley. The Dishforth to Barton section was dual carriageway trunk road numbered A1 until the Dishforth to Leeming section was upgraded to motorway in 2012, with the Leeming to Barton upgrade finally being completed in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1-0001 Roads in Tyne and Wear Motorways in England A1 road (Great Britain)