Transport campaigners have challenged new claims that dualling the A1 in Northumberland could generate more than £200 million in additional benefits, urging local leaders to prioritise urgent safety upgrades instead.
Northumberland County Council last week released findings from a commissioned study, which it said made the case for upgrading the road “more compelling than ever”. The assessment identified an extra economic boost of £200 million to £225 million over a 60-year period that was not previously considered in the Government’s review of shelved plans to dual 13 miles of single carriageway between Morpeth and Ellingham.
Study basis questioned
The additional benefits were attributed to removing “driver frustration”, placing a monetary value on motorists’ ability to travel at more consistent speeds with fewer delays. The council launched the study after a series of fatal crashes this year, with eight people killed on the A1 in Northumberland in 2026 so far.
The North East Sustainable Transport Coalition (NEST) has questioned the study’s merits, noting it was based on appraisal of the successful A9 dualling project in Scotland. NEST has instead urged local leaders to abandon the push for dualling and focus on making safety interventions to improve the route’s safety record as quickly as possible.
Safety record in focus
Coalition spokesperson Matthew Phillips, from Durham, said: "If frustration has become a valid reason for spending hundreds of millions of pounds on infrastructure, then we'd better start widening supermarket aisles for Christmas, and building extra checkout lanes each time someone gets impatient."
He added: "While politicians are busy measuring feelings, people continue to be injured and killed on this road. The urgent priority should be securing safety enhancements now, such as junction improvements, average speed cameras, reduced speed limits and other measures to tackle dangerous driving."
Road safety campaigner Wendy Breach, who lives in Northumberland, said "anyone who has sat on the A1 approaching Newcastle at rush hour knows perfectly well that doubling the traffic lanes on a road does not rule out congestion".
Campaign for dualling continues
Mr Phillips said energy would be better spent lobbying for increased capacity and more rail services on the East Coast Main Line through Northumberland and County Durham. He added: "Northumberland deserves a serious transport policy, not a multi-million-pound attempt to treat bad moods with tarmac."
Cross-party politicians including the Tory-run council and Labour mayor Kim McGuinness, business leaders, community groups, and the Chronicle have been campaigning for the A1 to be dualled after decades of inaction. Seven deaths this year on the Morpeth to Ellingham section is just one fewer than in the previous nine years combined.
Council leader Glen Sanderson said last week: "This study clearly demonstrates to the Government why the business case for dualling is now more compelling than ever. The benefits to drivers, to the county, the region and the UK speak for themselves, while the appalling safety record and the dangerous and frustrating mix of dual and single carriageway are key reasons why we need the A1 dualled."
He added: "Northumberland is thriving – but our main road through the county isn't fit for purpose. We've seen a 6% increase in traffic on the A1 over the past few years compared with a nationwide traffic increase of just 2.5%. Our study shows up to half a billion pounds of benefits could be generated.
"But the longer we wait for Government action, the more we will see the road getting snarled up, drivers either getting more frustrated or creating a burden on alternative routes, and ultimately more lives being lost. Working alongside the mayor, business leaders and politicians of all colours, we must continue to push for action."
