A66 road
Encyclopedia
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road
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 numbering 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. Most of what is now the A66 west of Penrith was originally A594
– only a small stub of this road remains, from Maryport
to Cockermouth
.
From its eastern terminus between Redcar
and Middlesbrough, it runs past Stockton-on-Tees
and Darlington
mainly as two to three lane dual-carriageway and single carriageway past Darlington, becoming motorway standard as the A66(M) shortly before meeting junction 57 of the A1(M). It follows the A1(M) south to Scotch Corner
from where it continues west across the Pennines
, past Brough
, Appleby, Kirkby Thore
, Temple Sowerby
, Penrith
, Keswick
and Cockermouth
, and on through the northern reaches of the Lake District
, before arriving at the coastal town of Workington
. There is a short stretch of two lane dual carriageway alongside the northern part of Bassenthwaite Lake between Keswick and Cockermouth. Whilst the eastbound section follows the straight line of the disused Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway
, the westbound section has numerous bends with climbs and dips. The western end of the Bassenthwaite stretch has been permanently reduced to a single lane with a 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s) limit patrolled by average speed cameras.
in the 1920s, the A66 was assigned to the route between Penrith and Hull
via Scotch Corner and York
, mainly along former Roman road
s. Its original route and today's route are largely congruous between Penrith and Scotch Corner. The historic route between Scotch Corner and Hull follows what is now today's A1, A168
, B6265, A59 and A1079
.
on the A1 and Penrith on the M6
forms one of the key Trans-Pennine trunk routes and has one of the worst road safety records in the UK. Various bypasses 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 and opened in 2007 and 2008. The whole route between the A1 and M6 was due to be dualled by 2011, by which time the A1 at Scotch Corner was also due to have been upgraded to motorway standard.
After the construction of several sections was commenced, it was announced that those schemes currently in the planning phase will not go ahead to construction until 2016 at the earliest. The Highways Agency website states "Other than those already committed, the Regions did not identify any other major schemes for the A66 as high priorities to receive funding. This means that there is currently no likelihood of any additional major schemes on this route being funded within the next ten year period. However, the Regional Funding Allocation process will be reviewed in due course and this will give an opportunity for the Regions to revise their priorities."
All dates for openings are estimates based upon information provided by the Highways Agency and are subject to change or delay.
from the A1(M). It was opened in 1965 along with the A1(M) as part of the Darlington by-pass motorway. It can be accessed only by northbound traffic on the A1(M) and has exit to this route southbound only.
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
from Scotch Corner
Scotch Corner
Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland".-Geography:...
to Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
. It runs from east of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
in the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
to Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. It is anomalously numbered
Anomalously numbered roads in Great Britain
In the Great Britain road numbering scheme, Great Britain is divided into numbered zones, the boundaries of which are usually defined by single-digit roads. The first digit of a road's number should be the number of the zone it occupies...
since west of Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
it trespasses into numbering 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. Most of what is now the A66 west of Penrith was originally A594
A594 road (Cumbria)
The A594 is a main road in Cumbria, that runs between the A596 in Maryport and the A595 on the outskirts of Cockermouth. Its total length is around .Curiously, the inner ring road in Leicester is also numbered as the A594....
– only a small stub of this road remains, from Maryport
Maryport
Maryport is a town and civil parish within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Cumberland. It is located on the A596 road north of Workington, and is the southernmost town on the Solway Firth. Maryport railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The town is in...
to Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
.
From its eastern terminus between Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
and Middlesbrough, it runs past Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
and Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
mainly as two to three lane dual-carriageway and single carriageway past Darlington, becoming motorway standard as the A66(M) shortly before meeting junction 57 of the A1(M). It follows the A1(M) south to Scotch Corner
Scotch Corner
Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland".-Geography:...
from where it continues west across the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, past Brough
Brough, Cumbria
Brough, sometimes known as Brough under Stainmore, is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England, on the western fringe of the Pennines near Stainmore. The village is on the A66 trans-Pennine road, and the Swindale Beck, and is about south east of Appleby-in-Westmorland...
, Appleby, Kirkby Thore
Kirkby Thore
Kirkby Thore is a small village, civil parish and hill in Cumbria, England at .It is close to the Lake District national park and the Cumbrian Pennines...
, Temple Sowerby
Temple Sowerby
Temple Sowerby is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, northern England. It is close to the main east–west A66 road about east of Penrith in the Eden Valley....
, Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
, Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
and Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, and on through the northern reaches of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, before arriving at the coastal town of Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
. There is a short stretch of two lane dual carriageway alongside the northern part of Bassenthwaite Lake between Keswick and Cockermouth. Whilst the eastbound section follows the straight line of the disused Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway
Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway
The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway was incorporated by Act of Parliament on 1 August 1861, for a line connecting the town of Cockermouth with the London and North Western Railway West Coast Main Line at Penrith. Arrangements for the use of the stations at either end The Cockermouth,...
, the westbound section has numerous bends with climbs and dips. The western end of the Bassenthwaite stretch has been permanently reduced to a single lane with a 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s) limit patrolled by average speed cameras.
History
When road numbers were first designatedGreat Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Originally introduced to arrange...
in the 1920s, the A66 was assigned to the route between Penrith and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
via Scotch Corner and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, mainly along former Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
s. Its original route and today's route are largely congruous between Penrith and Scotch Corner. The historic route between Scotch Corner and Hull follows what is now today's A1, A168
A168 road
The A168 is a major road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs from Northallerton to Wetherby, acting as a local access road for the A1.-History:...
, B6265, A59 and A1079
A1079 road
The A1079 is a major road in northern England. It links the cities of York and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire.-Route:The road begins in central York, heading east initially as Lawrence Street and then Hull Road. After it meets the A64 at a grade separated roundabout and gains primary status...
.
Transpennine dualling
The middle section of the A66 between Scotch CornerScotch Corner
Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland".-Geography:...
on the A1 and Penrith on the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
forms one of the key Trans-Pennine trunk routes and has one of the worst road safety records in the UK. Various bypasses 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
John Spellar
John Francis Spellar is a British Labour Party politician, and the Member of Parliament for Warley. He served as a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, before returning to the backbenches in 2005...
gave support for the upgrading of the remaining single carriageway sections by the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
. The first three projects began construction in early 2006 and opened in 2007 and 2008. The whole route between the A1 and M6 was due to be dualled by 2011, by which time the A1 at Scotch Corner was also due to have been upgraded to motorway standard.
After the construction of several sections was commenced, it was announced that those schemes currently in the planning phase will not go ahead to construction until 2016 at the earliest. The Highways Agency website states "Other than those already committed, the Regions did not identify any other major schemes for the A66 as high priorities to receive funding. This means that there is currently no likelihood of any additional major schemes on this route being funded within the next ten year period. However, the Regional Funding Allocation process will be reviewed in due course and this will give an opportunity for the Regions to revise their priorities."
| Section | Start | End | Dual-carriageway | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M6-A6 | M6 J40 | A6 | Opened 1971 | |
| Penrith Bypass | A6 | Brougham | Opened 1971 | |
| Penrith-Temple Sowerby | Brougham | Winderwath | - | On hold |
| Temple Sowerby Bypass | Winderwath | Temple Sowerby East | Opened 2007 | |
| Temple Sowerby-Appleby | Temple Sowerby East | Crackenthorpe | - | On hold |
| Appleby Bypass | Crackenthorpe | Coupland | Opened by 1982 | |
| Warcop Bypass | Coupland | Brough West | - | On hold |
| Brough Bypass | Brough West | Brough East | Opened 1977 | |
| Brough-Stainmore | Brough East | Stainmore | Opened 1994 | |
| Stainmore Bypass | Stainmore Stainmore Stainmore is a civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, including the villages of North Stainmore and South Stainmore. It has a population of 253.- Geography :... |
Banks Gate | Opened 1992 | |
| Bowes Moor | Banks Gate | Bowes West | Opened 1993 | |
| Bowes Bypass | Bowes West | Bowes East | - | On hold |
| Boldron Bypass | Bowes East | Cross Lanes | Opened by 1983 | |
| Cross Lanes-Greta Bridge | Cross Lanes | Greta Bridge West | - | On hold |
| Greta Bridge Bypass | Greta Bridge West | Greta Bridge East | Opened 1980 | |
| Greta Bridge-Stephen Bank | Greta Bridge East | Stephen Bank | Opened 2008 | |
| Stephen Bank-Carkin Moor | Stephen Bank | Carkin Moor | - | On hold |
| Carkin Moor-Scotch Corner (A1) | Carkin Moor | Scotch Corner (A1) | Opened 2008 |
All dates for openings are estimates based upon information provided by the Highways Agency and are subject to change or delay.
Notable events
- On Monday, 24 May 2010 three people were killed, four were seriously injured and approximately thirty people sustained less severe injuries2010 A66 Keswick coach accidentOn Monday, 24 May 2010, a Honda Civic collided with a coach carrying children home from Keswick School on the A66 road in Cumbria, United Kingdom. Three people were killed and four were left seriously injured. Approximately thirty people sustained less severe injuries...
after a car collided with a coach carrying children home from Keswick SchoolKeswick SchoolKeswick School is an 11–18, Voluntary Aided, co-educational school. It retains a traditional atmosphere, including speech days, prefects and Head Boys and Girls and has selected the most appropriate of the educational initiatives on offer in the last decade...
on the A66 road in CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
A66(M)
The A66(M) is a spurSpur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
from the A1(M). It was opened in 1965 along with the A1(M) as part of the Darlington by-pass motorway. It can be accessed only by northbound traffic on the A1(M) and has exit to this route southbound only.
Junctions
| A66(M) Motorway | ||
| Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |
| Darlington A66 Stapleton Stapleton, Richmondshire Stapleton is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is close to the River Tees and Darlington. A pub and restaurant, The Bridge Inn, serves exotic meats such as kangaroo and crocodile.... , Barton Barton Barton is an archaic English word meaning lands of the manor or meadow and may refer to several places or people:-Australia:* Barton, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra... |
Start of motorway | |
| Start of motorway | A1(M) J57 | The SOUTH Southern England Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct... , Scotch Corner Scotch Corner Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland".-Geography:... A1(M) |