A1 dualling in Northumberland between Morpeth and Ellingham given green light

The government's announced that a stretch of the A1 in Northumberland will be turned into dual carriageway. A thirteen mile section of the road between Morpeth and Ellingham will be dualled.

The decision was put back from September last year after several earlier delays, and had been due on 5 June.

Despite the decision, it is not 100% certain A1 dualling will happen. There will now be six weeks when people can challenge the decision in the high court.

The scheme will be carried out by National Highways.

It will see eight miles of the A1 between Morpeth and Felton upgraded to dual carriageway as well as a new section of dual carriageway between being built between Priests Bridge and Burgham Park.  This will bypass the existing part of the A1.

The old section will then become a local road which will be owned and maintained by Northumberland County Council. 

A further five miles of the existing A1 will be upgraded from single to dual carriageway between Alnwick and Ellingham.

In addition to the dualling, proposals show National Highways will also build four new junctions at Highlaws, Fenrother, West Moor and Charlton Mires to create access onto and off the carriageway.

Over the River Coquet a new bridge will be constructed in parallel to the existing one, plus there will be a new accommodation bridge at Heckley Fence.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative MP for Berwick-Upon-Tweed called the news 'fantastic.'

In a post on social media, Ms Trevelyan said: "This is fantastic news for our local communities, businesses, our emergency services and tourism."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...