A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The first section, the Doncaster Bypass, opened in 1961 and is one of the oldest sections of motorway in Britain. Construction of a new section of A1(M) between Leeming and Barton was completed on 29 March 2018, a year later than the anticipated opening in 2017 due to extensive archaeological excavations. Its completion linked the Barton to Washington section with the Darrington to Leeming Bar section, forming the longest A1(M) section overall and reducing the number of sections from five to four. In 2015, a proposal was made by three local government organisations to renumber as M1 the section of A1(M) between Micklefield and Washington, making this section a northern extension of the M1.

Overview

From London to Sunderland, 123.33 mi of the route are non-motorway while the remaining 145.38 mi are to motorway standards. The motorway sections are discussed below.

South Mimms to Stotfold

This section opened in stages:

Junctions

Alconbury to Peterborough

This section runs through the Cambridgeshire countryside between Alconbury and Peterborough. It was officially opened by Lord Whitty on 31 October 1998, and is the most isolated of the motorway sections as it connects with no other motorway. It is designed to a noticeably high standard, 8 mi of it being four lanes from junction 14 at Alconbury to junction 16 at Norman Cross in each direction whilst the remainder has three lanes in each direction. It is managed by Road Management Services (Peterborough) under a DBFO contract with National Highways.

Junctions

Following the rerouting of the A14 road in 2019 at Brampton Hut interchange this section needs review.

Doncaster By-Pass (Blyth to Skellow)

This 15 mi section which runs from Skellow in South Yorkshire to the village of Blyth in the far north of Nottinghamshire first opened in 1961 and was one of the first sections of motorway to be built in Britain; it has two lanes in each direction. Between junction 36 and 37 the motorway crosses the River Don on the Don Bridge.

Junctions

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.

Skellow to Darrington (proposed)

Proposals were made by a previous government to upgrade the Skellow to Darrington section of the A1 to motorway, meaning the entire stretch of A1 from Blyth in Nottinghamshire to Washington in Tyne and Wear would be motorway-standard road.

Darrington to Washington

This section opened in sections:

Junctions

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.