Drivers could be warned to ignore sat nav during A1 work

DRIVERS could be told to “ignore sat navs” in a bid to avoid traffic chaos during work on the A1.

And bosses behind the scheme have insisted they are already prepared to manage the impact of closures and diversions on motorists – as well as families living near affected roads.

“We have strategic routes set up for Northumberland, should we need to close the A1,” said Mark Stoneman, project manager at National Highways.

“We’re talking to Transport Scotland about how we can capture traffic further north to do diversions there.

“And we will be talking to colleagues further south, to capture below the M62, for example, so we can really try to give HGV drivers in particular as much advance warning to make that choice whether they want to carry on or go in a completely different direction – that’s how far ahead we try to look.

“Sat nav is something we really need to try and re-inforce while we put people on a diversion route, [telling them to] follow our signs and ignore their sat navs.”

Bosses behind the latest phase of A1 upgrades have predicted work could finish by 2024, assuming everything goes to plan. About 900 archaeological trenches were dug in preparation for work starting, but have yielded little more than Saxon pottery.

Following a public inquiry on the plans held earlier this year, recommendations have now been passed to the government, with a decision on whether or not the dualling can go ahead expected to be issued in January.

Isabel Hunter, county councillor for Berwick, said: “[We need] clear signage to say that [a particular] road is closed and divert traffic on to the best possible roads, If not, you’re going to have HGVs using sat navs on very narrow roads.”