Harrogate motorists face 20-week road closures as A1(M) junction upgrades move to next stage

Motorists using Junction 47 on the A1(M) near Harrogate and Knaresborough will face closures when a multi-million pound road repair project moves to the next stage later this month.
By Jacob Webster
Published 19th Jan 2021, 11:58 BST
Updated 19th Jan 2021, 12:02 BST
The £7.7m upgrades at Junction 47 on the A1(M) are scheduled for final completion in autumn.The £7.7m upgrades at Junction 47 on the A1(M) are scheduled for final completion in autumn.
The £7.7m upgrades at Junction 47 on the A1(M) are scheduled for final completion in autumn.

The roadworks are being carried out by North Yorkshire County Council highways teams and will involve a series of overnight closures of the slip roads from 25 January.

The closures will not affect all slip roads at the same time and will be in place from Monday to Friday for four weeks between 8pm and 6am.

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Following completion of this work, the upgrading of the A59/A168 slip road will necessitate a full closure of the slip road. North Yorkshire County Council said this could be in place for up to 16 weeks.

The £7.7m project, which began in September, is aiming to tackle congestion and road safety problems, and is scheduled for completion in autumn.

Upgrades include widening three of the junction's four slip roads, installation of traffic signals on the roundabout and improvements to nearby junctions.

Storm Christoph set to bring heavy rain and disruption to Harrogate district this week

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Traffic signals will also be added to the T-junction between the A168 and the A59 and the slip road widened to reduce the risk of queuing vehicles turning on to the A59.

West of Junction 47, between the A1 and the Flaxby roundabout, a lane will be added for traffic travelling east, giving two lanes in each direction between those two roundabouts.

County councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said: “At busy times, congestion is an issue at this junction, particularly for traffic coming off the southbound carriageway of the A1. These upgrades will address this, improve road safety and support residential and commercial development in the towns.

“We are looking ahead to support sustainable growth by considering future housing developments, particularly along the A59 corridor between Knaresborough and York. This project is important not only for Harrogate and Knaresborough, but for wider connections across our county.

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“We understand that the closures will cause inconvenience and necessitate significant diversions for some drivers. Our contractor will do everything they can to ensure closures are as short as possible.

"We apologise for the disruption and thank drivers in advance for their patience during what will be short-term inconvenience for long-term improvement to traffic flow.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter

Related topics:HarrogateKnaresboroughNorth Yorkshire County CouncilDon Mackenzie