In Parliament yesterday Grantham MP Gareth Davies called for improvements to the A1 through the East Midlands, describing the “deathtrap crossovers” as “an absolute nightmare”.
He said the stretch of road had the shortest sliproads in the country and deathtrap crossovers.
Others in parliament are calling for the A1 to be made in a motorway in the area to prevent issues with collisions, first campaigned by Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton.
The road between Peterborough and Newark became a dual carriageway in the early 1960s.
In the early 90s, there were plans to turn the stretch into a three-lane motorway. Houses adjacent to the Grantham bypass were purchased with a view to demolition, but the Blair Government abandoned the scheme and the properties returned to their owners.
The latest calls have been backed by Newark MP Robert Jenrick and Mr Davies, as it was discovered that the rate of fatal collisions on the section of the A1 near Grantham is significantly higher than the average for an A road dual carriageway.
Some 27 deaths have been recorded in the area in the last five years, and upgrades to the road are being described as “the only solution”. In the same period, accidents have forced the road to close on more than 200 occasions.
Mr Davies said that there are issues that can be addressed immediately by Highways England, saying his constituents “want action now”.
“They want to see these improvements that are quite frankly pretty minor, so who is responsible for this? Well, it isn’t actually ministers, who have provided a significant amount of funding to national highways, which is the body responsible.”
Transport Minister Grant Shapps has agreed to organise a meeting with the Roads Minister to discuss the issue further.
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