Just wondering if anyone hit the A1 south slip road closure from Scotch Corner recently and worked out where the diversion is supposed to go?
Only ask as I came off A66 last night, tried to follow the diamond symbol around said roundabout as instructed, to find it appears to vanish half way round the roundabout just before services turn off and leaves motorists in complete confusion.
Several of us took to Richmond, but no more diamond signs down there. Luckily this was in a car as twice following normal signs (and no road ahead closed signs) we ran into even more road closures where turning a truck would have been hard.
I know diversions are often bad, but this is a massive trunk route and regularly closed so surely they can get this one right!?
So just wondered if there is an official route or are the traffic management people as useless as I suspect?
Official route is north on A1M to J60 then down the A689 to the A19.
The “we know better than those idiots” night trunk drivers diversion is to go north to J57 then up the A66M Eastbound. For the “safe” route continue on the A66 to the A19. For the rest of us who don’t mind minor A roads it then used to be turn down the A167 to Northallerton and then on the A168 to Thirsk but there have been some roadworks south of Northallerton so its back to Leeming Bar from Northallerton for the time being.
Official diversion adds about 45 minutes. A66M to A19 adds 35 minutes, the Northallerton version adds 25 minutes.
You have to be careful some nights though as they shut it both north and south from Scotch Corner so coming eastbound on the A66 they take you off near Barnard Castle where there is a big yellow sign saying A1 North follow X, take you down a really crappy B road where you can’t fit two wagons past each other on some corners into Barnard Castle then onto the A67 into Darlington then back out onto the A1.
Conor:
Official route is north on A1M to J60 then down the A689 to the A19.
The “we know better than those idiots” night trunk drivers diversion is to go north to J57 then up the A66M Eastbound. For the “safe” route continue on the A66 to the A19. For the rest of us who don’t mind minor A roads it then used to be turn down the A167 to Northallerton and then on the A168 to Thirsk but there have been some roadworks south of Northallerton so its back to Leeming Bar from Northallerton for the time being.
Official diversion adds about 45 minutes. A66M to A19 adds 35 minutes, the Northallerton version adds 25 minutes.
You have to be careful some nights though as they shut it both north and south from Scotch Corner so coming eastbound on the A66 they take you off near Barnard Castle where there is a big yellow sign saying A1 North follow X, take you down a really crappy B road where you can’t fit two wagons past each other on some corners into Barnard Castle then onto the A67 into Darlington then back out onto the A1.
Is that the one where a lorry took down a low hanging branch one night? Held everyone up for over an hour.
I noticed the other night that for the first time ever the matrix sign just before J40 M6 northbound was showing A1 s/b entry from A66 was closed. Most useful as we go up to Penrith then over to Doncaster and usually you don’t find out its shut till you get there. As a good company man I always follow signed diversions and as already been mentioned, the official diversion adds 45mins to the run. Knowing it’s closed means a run back down the M6 and across the 62, far shorter than going bloody miles in the wrong direction up the A1
mkb600:
Knowing it’s closed means a run back down the M6 and across the 62, far shorter than going bloody miles in the wrong direction up the A1
Additional 40 miles so its double the length of the shortest alternative I posted but time wise it works out the same time as taking the Northallerton option above to the minute however the problem is that on a night they’re now shutting various points of the M60/M62 in the vicinity of J17-20 and on a Friday night going up the M61 it can get busy at the top where you go onto the M6 and add another 10 minutes.
Ah right, so there should have been a proper route then. Did wonder about going north from Scotch Corner, but signs when I was there stated to go round the roundabout towards services for southbound diversion and north for other diversion (and 3 of us read them) - wonder if someone mucked that up as it seemed to be causing a lot of confusion and people suddenly turning off on junctions.
Think I’ll take the M62 next time, not that I intend to go to Penrith that often…after 30 odd years there, not sure why anyone else would either.
