Councillors in the North East of England have made renewed calls to reverse a government decision to scrap plans to widen a “dangerous” single carriageway main road. The idea of dualling the A1 in Northumberland was dismissed in 2024 after the Department for Transport deemed it “unfunded and unaffordable”.
However, speaking at Northumberland County Council meeting on Wednesday, Liberal Democrat councillor Isabel Hunter said the road needed to be dualled as it was getting shut on an “almost a weekly basis” due to accidents, says the BBC.
Data from the North East Transport Analysis Data Unit, which is funded by the five Tyne and Wear councils, suggests there have been 26 casualties on the road so far this year. The figures also reveal that in 10 of these casualties were left in serious condition and one person was killed.
Hunter said: “We’re not particularly bothered which party does it, we just want the road dualled.”
Conservative council leader Glen Sanderson said it was a “fundamental need” to have a “strong spine” between Northumberland and Scotland.
“The fact that we don’t have that, the fact that we have a dangerous road… and the fact that it has cost people their lives makes it an appalling decision,” he said.
“The A1 must be dualled, there’s no question about it.”
(Pic: National Highways)
