A1 central reservation gaps to be closed in Lincolnshire

Gaps in the central reservation of the A1 are to be closed as a safety measure.

National Highways said it would install steel barriers across 13 crossing points on a stretch of the dual carriageway between Little Ponton and South Witham in Lincolnshire.

The agency said it was responding to concerns raised in public meetings about the number of accidents along the road.

Last year, transport research group Midlands Connect reported there were almost 1,000 crashes on the A1 between Peterborough and Blyth since 2015.

Phil Shaw from National Highways said the agency had spent more than £19m on safety improvements on the A1 including new road markings, improved signage, the introduction of LED road studs and red high friction road surfaces.

“There has been a lot of support for closing these gaps and we have heard the concerns of communities along the A1,” he said.

“That’s why we are developing a long-term safety plan for this road including shutting off more gaps.”

He added that closing the gaps was “a complex legal and technical process”.

“We need to ensure that the problems are not moved to a different location, to consider collision data and the public rights of way,” he said.