Public are given say on A1 plans

Plans to upgrade a dangerous stretch of the A1 in Northumberland are going on display on Thursday.

A public exhibition will showcase three proposals for upgrading a 3.5-mile section between Adderstone and Belford.

The proposed scheme would see this section of road upgraded to full dual carriageway to help improve the safety record of this section of the road.

The road has an above average accident rate with 43 personal injury incidents in the past eight years.

High accident rate

The Belford display will show three options for the new dual carriageway. All three have the northern and southern ends of the schemes in common with the centre section offering the three options.

The scheme will run from just south of the B1341 junction with the A1 to just north of the B1342 near Belford.

Alex Bywaters, for the Highways Agency, said: "This section of the A1 has an accident record one and a half times worse than the national average for this type of road.

"There will be a three-month period after the exhibition closes, when people can write into the Highways Agency with their thoughts and ideas. The information will be fed into the process to develop the preferred route for the scheme."

The exhibition runs from 9 until 12 December at Erskin Church Hall, Nursery Street, Belford.