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Writer's pictureSafer Highways

National Highways reviews crossing points on the A1 between Stamford and Blyth after calls for safety improvements following regular crashes


Crossing points on the A1 are under review.


National Highways is investigating what effect closing central reservation gaps on the A1 would have on drivers.


A study into all 57 of the crossing points on the A1 between Stamford and Blyth will take place.


National Highways programme development manager, Ian Doust, said: “These gaps are often the main access point to villages and towns from the A1 so we are looking carefully at the purpose of each one, exploring how much the gap is used, what alternative arrangements could be put in place and evaluating the potential consequences of any proposal to close any of those gaps.


“The study is still in its early phases so we are unable to give any specifics at this time.”

A number of crossing points on the Lincolnshire stretch of the A1 are accident hotspots.


Although much of the A1 has a speed limit of 70mph, many drivers break the law and travel faster than that, including one vehicle which was clocked travelling at 142mph on the A1 northbound near Grantham.


Crossing points do provide direct access into a number of villages, including North Witham, Stoke Rochford, Claypole in Lincolnshire and Fernwood near Newark. Without them, drivers travelling to these villages would have to add extra miles onto their journeys.


North Witham resident and South Kesteven District councillor, David Bellamy (Con), is keen to see changes to the A1 but questions whether shutting central reservation crossing points would help.


He said: “Residents from Great Ponton travelling south but living alongside the northbound carriageway would have to travel to the Colsterworth flyover and back to reach their homes.

“I think if it was easy it would have already been done unfortunately.”


The crossing points are often used by slow-moving agricultural vehicles accessing fields off the A1 which would otherwise be forced to travel for longer on the main road.

Coun Bellamy questioned whether this would result in a lowered speed limit, which is something he has been campaigning for on the South Witham to Little Ponton stretch.


Almost a quarter of the people who responded to a recent local poll said that their priority would be closing the crossing points.


The most popular answer, which received 31% of votes, was to do all of the following: Make the A1 between Stamford and Newark a three-lane motorway, close crossover points, make the slip roads longer and ban lorries overtaking.

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