A1 Birtley to Coal House
Traffic on this busy section of the A1 is congested, especially during peak hours – making journeys unreliable. The number of vehicles using the road will increase with new housing and employment developments planned for the area, so road improvements are needed.
Project information
We will be improving approximately four miles of the A1 between junctions 65 (Birtley) and 67 (Coal House). The existing road will be widened between the junctions to help manage traffic joining and leaving the A1:
- Northbound we’ll increase the number of lanes from two to three.
- Southbound we’ll increase the number of lanes from three to four.
Junction 65, 66 and 67 will be modified to accommodate the additional lanes.
We also plan to replace Allerdene railway bridge, which carries the A1 over the east coast mainline railway. The current bridge was built nearly 40 years ago and requires regular maintenance which can cause disruption to traffic. We’ll build the new bridge just south of the existing bridge.
We’re designing this improvement scheme to benefit road users, local communities, and to support the region’s economy.
Once completed it will:
- reduce congestion by increasing capacity for road users
- improve the reliability of peoples’ journeys and reduce delays by increasing capacity of the road network
- make journeys safer by improving the standard and capacity of the road
- help support economic growth by improving the road to the Newcastle and Tyneside area (Team Valley Employment Zone)
- support the government’s initiative for growth in the north
Documents
A1 Birtley to Coal House - Notice of proposed changes to an accepted Development Consent Order
Environmental Statement Addendum 3 Span Viaduct
Environmental Statement Addendum 3 Span Viaduct Non-Techncial Summary
Environmental Statement Addendum Additional Land
Environmental Statement Addendum Additional Land Non-Technical Summary
Statutory Consultation - Additional Land plan
Consultation brochure: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
Consultation questionnaire: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
Statement of Community Consultation
Section 48 Notice
Preliminary environmental information report (PEIR): A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR Appendix A: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR Appendix B: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR Appendix C: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR Appendix D: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR Appendix E: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
PEIR non-technical summary: A1 Birtley to Coal House improvements
Related Road projects

Traffic information
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