Timetable for A1 upgrade in Northumberland revealed after contractor appointed by Highways England

Costain has been awarded the contract for the A1 Morpeth to Ellingham improvement.

It had already been appointed to design and manage the construction of the A1 Birtley to Coal House scheme south of Gateshead.

Tim Gamon, regional delivery director for Highways England in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Costain and design partner Jacobs on these two major upgrades, both of which will be a massive boost for the region’s economy, creating jobs during construction and assisting the region’s future growth.

"They will also increase capacity along the existing carriageway, meaning safer, smoother, more reliable journeys for thousands of people using these sections of the A1 every day.

“Costain is already helping us deliver the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton project so we know they will bring a wealth of expertise to our latest schemes and we look forward to working with them to progress both for the wider benefit of the region.”

Mal Bell, programme director at Costain, said: “These are critical projects supporting economic growth in the North East; improving traffic flow connecting businesses and communities.

"Costain will deploy digital tools to improve productivity and effectiveness throughout the programme to enable the timely delivery of safer, greener and more efficient roads.”

The A1 Morpeth to Ellingham project is due to start construction between July and September 2022 and end in 2024/5.

Highways England will upgrade eight miles of the A1 to a dual carriageway between Morpeth and Felton, including construction of a new dual carriageway bypassing the existing A1 between Priests Bridge and Burgham Park.

Between Alnwick and Ellingham a further five miles of the existing A1 will be upgraded to dual carriageway. This will be done along the existing single carriageway road.

Four new compact split-level junctions will be constructed at Highlaws, Fenrother, West Moor and Charlton Mires to providing safe access to and from the A1 as well as maintaining links to the local road network.

The £220m A1 Birtley to Coal House project is due to start main construction later this summer and be complete in 2024/25.

More details on the Northumberland scheme is available at https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/yorkshire-and-north-east/a1-morpeth-to-ellingham-dualling/

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