A1 traffic system to be removed for Christmas

Traffic management on a section of the A1 in West Yorkshire is set to be lifted to reduce congestion in the run-up to the festive period and into the new year.

The contraflow between Barnsdale Bar and Ferrybridge, which allows traffic to travel in the opposite direction to normal, will be removed from Saturday, National Highways said.

The system was put in place as part of repairs and upgrades to Wentbridge Viaduct and Wentedge Road Bridge and will be reinstated in January.

The entire project is expected to be completed by late summer 2025.

According to National Highways, two lanes will be running northbound between Barnsdale Bar and Ferrybridge from Saturday morning and southbound from 21 November.

The northbound carriageway will be reduced to a single lane again on the 4 January, followed by the southbound on 8 January.

To enable the removal of the contraflow, the northbound carriageway will be closed on 15 November from 20:00 to 06:00 GMT.

The southbound carriageway will close during the same hours on 17, 18, 19 and 20 November.

Overnight closures to reinstate traffic management are scheduled northbound on 3, 5 and 6 January and southbound on 7, 8 and 9 January.

National Highways said it had also marked 10 January as a further contingency date for southbound closures.

A separate scheme has begun between the A1(M) junctions 38 (A638 Redhouse) and A1 junction 39 (A639 Barnsdale Bar) to upgrade the safety barrier and lighting in the area.

This scheme is expected to be completed in March 2025.

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