How over-running A1(M) roadworks became nightmare for villages

Two and a half years ago, a series of essential repairs began on a stretch of the A1(M) on the border of West and South Yorkshire.

The work on the Wentbridge Viaduct and Wentedge Road Bridge was meant to be finished by summer 2024, but after defects were discovered, the completion date was pushed back to the end of this year.

The carriageways were altered to single-lane running through the works area, which had led to long tailbacks as traffic is forced to queue to enter the remaining lane.

Instead, drivers have been leaving the motorway and “rat running” through small villages in a bid to avoid hour-long delays on the approach to the viaduct.

Tom Stanley, 54, commutes from Doncaster to Pontefract along the A1(M) five days a week, and has been regularly caught up in the jams since work began in February 2023.

“It is very frustrating. I sit and grim it; it is always jammed.”

The viaduct bridge, which opened in 1961, is a concrete structure carrying the A1(M) over the River Went.

Inspections identified essential repairs were required on the Grade II-listed, internationally renowned bridge, which was once chosen to feature in the Twentieth Century Engineering Exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

As part of the £30m project, National Highways is also replacing the central pier at Wentedge Road Bridge.

It includes work on the parapets, joints and surfacing.

Since upgrades started, Mr Stanley’s 25-minute journey home has become an hour and a half and he has witnessed the consequences of frustrated driver behaviour.

“You see bumps every three weeks on average, people try to nip past the queues (into the single lane) and they brake last minute.”

Mr Stanley has now explored alternative routes that bypass the affected stretch of the A1(M).

“I know every way there is, every farmer’s field, every track – but that can be just as bad if everybody has the same idea.

“Everybody is taking a shortcut.”

One village which has suffered from redirected traffic is Darrington, which is one of the last turn-offs available before the lane closures start.

On the route of the old Great North Road, it was bypassed by the modern A1 in the 1970s, and residents thought they had seen the back of congestion.

Parish council chair Dennis Burns, 71, said he struggled to remember what life was like before the roadworks.

“The worst thing we have had is lorries trying to get off the A1, around the island and back on again.

“The A1 blocks up and lorries cannot get back on.

“If you are waiting to come down the slip road, you cannot get into the village – it can be a 45-minute delay.”

Across farmers’ fields in Darrington, creeping traffic can be seen on the A1(M).

Despite signs advising that there is no access for vehicles over a certain weight limit, HGVs have been using the village as a diversion route.

“It is very difficult to cross the road when you get car after car or lorry after lorry,” Mr Burns added.

Around three miles south of Darrington is Wentbridge.

One man, who has lived in the village for eight years, said the rumble of traffic could be heard from as early as 05:30 in the morning.

“Sometimes they are queuing right to the top of the hill,” he said.

“We get quite a lot of juggernauts coming down which is a massive problem at the T-junction; they find it extremely difficult to turn around the corner.

“Some people have had their cars damaged, one or two properties were also damaged.

“We get verbal abuse from drivers; the last few years have been a nightmare really.

“There have been quite a few accidents at the crossroads, it is dangerous; the people of Wentbridge are fed up with it.

“No one seems to care, no one seems to be accountable, no one takes into consideration how people feel about it”.

National Highways extended the project deadline after “issues” were uncovered during the roadworks.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “When we began demolition work on the pier at Wentedge Road Bridge, endoscopic surveys uncovered a number of hidden defects which showed the concrete ends of the bridge deck required extensive repairs.

“We need to make sure the bridge remains safe and requires minimal repairs in the future.

“In the meantime, work continues on building a new central pillar on Wentedge Road Bridge, reinstating the central reservation, waterproofing Wentbridge Viaduct and carrying out extensive drainage improvements.

“We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience this causes.

“Safety is our top priority and it’s imperative that we take the necessary steps to ensure the long-term safety of these structures.

“This is a complex and intricate scheme and, until we started work on the bridge, it was not possible to identify the extent of the repairs needed.”

The completion date is now December 2025, but residents told the BBC they did not have much faith that work will be finished on time.

“No-one seems to have any confidence in what we are told,” continued the retiree.

“It just seems never-ending”.