A66 road
Encyclopedia : A : A6 : A66 : A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road (Margary 82) from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria. It is anomalously numbered since west of Penrith it trespasses into Name Zone 5; this is because it originally terminated at the A6 in Penrith, but was extended further west in order to create one continuous east-west route.
From its eastern terminus between Redcar and Middlesbrough, it runs past Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington mainly as four to six lane dual-carriageway, becoming motorway standard as the A66(M) shortly before meeting junction 57 of the A1(M). It continues west across the Pennines from junction 55 of the A1 road at Scotch Corner, past Brough, Appleby, Penrith, Keswick and Cockermouth, and on through the northern reaches of the Lake District, before arriving at the coastal town of Workington.
Gallery
Transpennine Dualling
The middle section of the A66 between Scotch Corner on the A1 and Penrith on the M6 forms one of the key transpennine trunk routes and has one of the worst road safety records in the UK. Various bypass and upgrades have been constructed since the early 1970s giving the current mix of single and dual-carriageway sections. In 2002, after many years of local campaigning, the Transport Minister John Spellar gave support for the upgrading of the remaining single carriageway sections by the Highways Agency. The first three projects began construction in early 2006 with the whole route between the A1 and M6 due to be dualled by 2011, by which time the A1 at Scotch Corner is also due to have been upgraded to motorway standard.
| Section | Start | End | Dual-carriageway | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M6-A6 | M6 J40 | A6 | Opened 1971 | |
| Penrith Bypass | A6 | Brougham | Opened 1971 | |
| Penrith-Temple Sowerby | Brougham | Winderwath | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Temple Sowerby Bypass | Winderwath | Temple Sowerby East | Due 2008 | Construction started February 2006 |
| Temple Sowerby-Appleby | Temple Sowerby East | Crackenthorpe | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Appleby Bypass | Crackenthorpe | Coupland | Opened by 1982 | |
| Warcop Bypass | Coupland | Brough West | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Brough Bypass | Brough West | Brough East | Opened 1977 | |
| Brough-Stainmore | Brough East | Stainmore | Opened 1994 | |
| Stainmore Bypass | Stainmore | Banks Gate | Opened 1992 | |
| Bowes Moor | Banks Gate | Bowes West | Opened 1993 | |
| Bowes Bypass | Bowes West | Bowes East | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Boldon Bypass | Bowes East | Cross Lanes | Opened by 1983 | |
| Cross Lanes-Greta Bridge | Cross Lanes | Greta Bridge West | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Greta Bridge Bypass | Greta Bridge West | Greta Bridge East | Opened 1980 | |
| Greta Bridge-Stephen Bank | Greta Bridge East | Stephen Bank | Due 2008 | Construction started March 2006 |
| Stephen Bank-Carkin Moor | Stephen Bank | Carkin Moor | Due by 2011 | In planning |
| Carkin Moor-Scotch Corner (A1) | Carkin Moor | Scotch Corner (A1) | Due 2008 | Construction started March 2006 |
All dates for openings are estimates based upon information provided by the Highways Agency and are subject to change or delay.
External links
- [CBRD Motorway Database - A66(M)]
- [Pathetic Motorways - A66(M)]
- [SABRE article on the A66]
- [A66 will be Fixed] - This is the North East
- [Highways Agency]
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