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The Development of the Arransian Expressway Network5. 1991-Present The Liberal government elected in 1990 under Robert Knox once more saw Martin Fogarty return to the Ministry of Transport, with the declared intention of stepping up the pace of new road construction. Fogarty remained in office until 1998, when he was nearly 72, and upon his retirement then was given a lifetime achievement award by the AMA as the person who over the years had done most to improve roads in Arransia. There was a period of taking stock, but January 1991 saw the largest announcement ever of the go-ahead for new schemes. First to be completed, in 1994, was the Sandscale bypass, pushing the A3 further south along the coast, but still leaving an eight-mile gap of single-carriageway road before reaching the Bainbridge bypass, which had been opened thirty years before. This became known as the “Porcupine Gap” after a famous coaching inn situated on the stretch. Further south on the A3, the section from the Brunswick border at Hobsett to north-west of Ince was also approved, to be completed in 1996. This still left a couple of gaps in the continuous route from the border to Danby, including the need to bridge the Barrow estuary, but it was clear that at last the embarrassingly poor gateway to Arransia from the Tri-Cities was being rectified. The Ince bypass was designed by the van Leer consultancy and, although it fitted sensitively into the countryside, seemed to show a new maturity and confidence in design standards. At the other end of the country, the A5 upgrade between Hebburn and Tetney in Pentmark was a major new section of Expressway stretching for 42 miles, and including the existing single-carriageway Grinsford bypass. This too opened in 1996 and made a major contribution to opening up eastern Pentmark. Further extension to Barcaldine was allowed for, and indeed was approved in 1996 and completed in 2000. Another project in the North was the A6 southern bypass of Stainton, extending as far as Torrisholme, which also opened in 1996, thus providing a complete Expressway loop of the city and at last providing relief for the Stainton “throughpass”. This was notable for including Arransia’s first crossing of two expressways where it met the A1 east of the city. On an awkward, sloping site, an elegant free-flow junction was provided, although the south-to-west movement was catered for by an upgrade of the A17 (the former A1) just to the west. Although in Brunswickian terms this interchange complex was fairly straightforward, it was described in the press as “Arransia’s spaghetti junction” and there was ill-informed speculation that hapless motorists could be lost for days. Unlike virtually all Arransia’s rural expressways, this complex of junctions has street lighting. 1993 saw the approval of the Wrangle Bypass on the A4, which partly used an existing single-carriageway bypass, but extended further north to also bypass the town of Laxthorpe. This was the first expressway section of the A4 since the Kelthorpe Bypass thirty years ago, and the Laxthorpe Bypass was the first expressway in the county of Edirn. Other bypasses on the route had been built as all-purpose roads, but it was thought desirable to build this as an Expressway to give a signal to remote and economically depressed Edirn that it was not being neglected. This was a fairly simple piece of construction in flat, low-lying country and opened in the Spring of 1997. With its long, sweeping curves and lack of traffic and gradients it has gained a reputation as something of a racetrack, although in its first eight years it has not seen a single fatal accident. Following Knox’s re-election in 1994, two further projects were approved in 1996. First was the logical extension of the A5 from Tetney to Barcaldine, which opened in 2000, giving Edirn its second short section of Expressway. This has proved to give a surprising boost to the economy of Barcaldine which has seen the development of a large new industrial and distribution park on the south bank of the Rye near the Expressway terminus. Second, and more controversial, was the section of the A3 between Ince and the southern end of the Bainbridge Bypass. This included a massive yet elegant cable-stayed bridge over the Barrow at Lawrenny, with a span of 1,820 feet, and then cut a swathe through the lushest stretch of farmland in Arransia. The road also shows an expansive and confident alignment, with a 20-30 foot central reservation and wide verges. The bridge has room for future expansion to six lanes. This road drew a lot of environmental protests and attracted many campaigners from Brunswick to a protest camp. This was broken up in 2000 with the police using some decidedly firm tactics, and the road was completed on schedule in 2003. As this road was, in network terms, very obviously necessary, there was a lot of resentment in Arransia that foreign campaigners were seeking to prevent or delay its completion. Now that the vegetation has grown up a little, the road in fact fits surprisingly subtly into the landscape. There was also controversy that the Lawrenny Bridge was tolled, as it represented the first toll on the main line of a “Top 9” Expressway, and the fairly large Lower Burn Bridge on the A5 at Howick was untolled. However, it was pointed out that it was a major estuarial crossing, replaced a ferry, and cut a lot of time and distance off the journey. The removal of the Ormsby bottleneck has greatly increased road freight along this corridor between Brunswick and Arransia, thus putting further pressure on the notorious “Porcupine Gap” between Bainbridge and Sandscale. 1998 saw a change of government with a narrow victory for Labour’s Gordon Bell. This administration rather gave the lie to Labour’s reputation as the party less keen on roadbuilding when it gave the go-ahead for the upgrade of the A1 from Danby all the way to Stainton in 2000. This, the largest single civil engineering project ever undertaken in Arransia, is currently underway and is expected to be completed in June 2007. Most of it is on-line, but north of Petersburgh there are a few miles where it will taken a slightly different route to the old sub-standard alignment to reduce gradients and smooth out bends. It is being built with full shoulders, Brunswick style, but this remains a somewhat controversial feature and the subsequent approved projects all still have four-foot hardstrips and flat grass verges which is effectively now the Arransian standard. There will be two full-fledged Brunswick-style service areas at Dunston and Pelforth, plus several rest areas. It will also, for the first time in Arransia, feature junction numbers. The works obviously require very careful traffic management to ensure that two lanes of traffic can be kept moving in each direction except at night. Also approved under the Bell administration was the A60 bypass of Coalbrook between Stainton and Tetney, which was given the go-ahead in 1998 and completed in 2001. This clearly suggests that the whole of this corridor will ultimately become Expressway, utilising the existing bypasses of Mellor and Balfron. Given the cost of the A1 upgrade, the approvals under the Bradshaw government since 2002 have been relatively modest, but make up for this in their level of controversy. First, given the green light within a few weeks of the government taking power, was the closing of the notorious “Porcupine Gap” on the A3. The fact that the new Minister of Transport, Peter Hough (b 1957), was MP for Bainbridge may have had something to do with this. This eight-mile single-carriageway stretch of the A3 between Bainbridge and Sandscale crossed some ancient heathland that was one of only three habitats in Arransia for the Lesser Green Sand Lizard. It took its name from a historic coaching inn (now more an upmarket hotel than a pub) named after Commodore Benjamin Astley’s flagship, and including a room panelled with the ship’s timbers. Environmental concerns had for some years deterred governments of both parties from grasping this particular nettle, leaving a grossly substandard road that had received no improvement apart from installing a few right-turn refuges and painting white lines along the sides. In an attempt to promote traffic flow, it had also – uniquely for a similar road in Arransia – in 1994 received a 30 mph minimum speed limit, extensive CCTV monitoring and a ban on agricultural vehicles between 7.30 am and 6 pm. Needless to say, none of this really worked, and a stop-start queue of broiling lorries could hardly be said to be environmentally friendly. However, this became a cause célêbre for the environmental movement, still smarting from their reverse in 2000 on the A3 further south, and before the work had started it had attracted substantial camps of anti-road protesters, predominantly from Brunswick. This caused a great deal of resentment in Arransia, where people were understandably unhappy that protesters from Brunswick, which already had a much better and more environmentally destructive road system than Arransia, were coming over the border with the aim of preventing them catching up. Most Brunswickians had no more sympathy for the protesters, and indeed Hough persuaded his Brunswickian counterpart to condemn them in unequivocal terms. In August 2004, at the “Battle of Burrows Dip”, the main protest camp was forcefully broken up, and over 200 protesters either deported or given severe injunctions not to come within 20 miles of the project. This operation involved over 2,000 police officers from several county forces (Arransia’s total police establishment is about 21,000) and, while no Marines were used, RNAS aircraft smoke-bombed the site beforehand in a manner that (calculatedly) caused extreme panic and allegedly caused one pregnant woman to miscarry. Seven people were convicted on conspiracy charges and received prison sentences of up to six years. The government were widely condemned for using heavy-handed, but Hough and the Home Affairs Minister Andrew Gemmill (b 1945) were absolutely unrepentant, and it seems that further trouble has been largely defused. Nevertheless, the sites where work is taking place are mostly fenced off with barbed wire, numerous private security staff are on patrol with large dogs, and there is usually a police helicopter somewhere overhead. Completion has also been put back from July 2007 to April 2008. The road, for what it is worth, will be eight miles of “enhanced specification” two-lane Expressway, with 20-30’ central reservation and wide grass verges, partly on-line, partly off. The Porcupine Inn will get its own grade-separated junction and a rest area will be developed alongside. It seems that the Battle of Burrows Dip may have lasting political effects, as many people, even though they supported the construction of the road and had no truck with the protesters, felt that the way the camp was dealt with was over-the-top and un-Arransian. The sight of jet aircraft attacking a ground target within the country produced a distinct feeling of unease, which was not helped when one of the pilots gave an interview in which she gave the impression it had been seen as a lark. It is likely that this will be frequently brought up during the 2006 election campaign and used by Labour as an example of the Liberals’ failure to maintain good order in the country. Almost as controversial was the A6 Golcar Bypass in western Edirn, which was approved in 2003. The objective of stimulating the economy of the depressed former mill towns of the area by upgrading the A6 east of Torrisholme had cross-party support, and Golcar, where the road descended 450 feet into the valley, and the same height up the other side, with long stretches of 1 in 8 gradients and some near-hairpin bends, looked an obvious place to start. Arransian expressway design seemed to have acquired a new boldness and confidence, and what was approved here was truly breathtaking – a five-span cable-stayed bridge over 2,800 feet long, with a deck 878 feet above sea level, at maximum height 469 feet above the valley floor, and towers rising a further 350 feet above. However, this met with disapproval from many of the locals who were hippyish settlers from Brunswick, and who in 2002 had elected the Brunswickian-born Pat Adams (b 1947) as their local Independent MP. This never reached the level of the Porcupine Gap protests, but it did produce a somewhat unpleasant atmosphere and there was some vandalism to the contractors’ camps. The Liberal-controlled Edirn County Council had no time for the protests and it was made clear to the locals that if they wanted to live in Arransia they needed to recognise that 21st century prosperity needed 21st century roads. The Sheriff of Edirn, retired Vice-Admiral Hugh Mackenzie (b 1941) was not someone to have much sympathy with the hippies. Now (November 2005) the towers are nearly up to their full height and the sheer scale of the project, like nothing else in Arransia so far, is becoming clear. On either side there is also extensive cutting and embanking to link it to the A6 at each end. It should be said that Golcar already had a stone railway viaduct, built in 1887, on a scale not far short (although with a deck about 100 feet lower down), that in its day had been considered a similar marvel. To the west, bypassing the town of Frosterley is less of a priority as the A6 already skirts it to the south and includes some stretches of 2+1 carriageways with crawler lanes, but when this section is built it will need another substantial viaduct, albeit not on the scale of Golcar. In comparison with these two projects, Hough’s approval of the A5 Sorbie bypass on the A5 between Howick and Piercebridge in Teviot, a longer stretch than both combined, went relatively unremarked. This is also due for completion in 2007. The May 2006 general election saw the return of a Labour government under Edward Douglas (b 1957) with a very narrow majority. On previous experience, Labour might have been expected to be less keen on new road projects, but their Transport Minister, William Galt (b 1958) was a genuine enthusiast for all forms of transport who fully recognised the need for efficient transport networks to support Arransia's prosperity. The very hot summer of 2006 saw an embarrassing incident where the elderly lifting bridge connecting the mainland to Verne Island was jammed during the Arransian Open golf championship, which was held at the Royal Drumness course on Verne. This forced the hand of the government to approve the construction of a new combined road and rail swing bridge to Verne, which would include a 3-lane road, with the centre lane reversible. In September 2006, Galt gave the go-ahead for a number of road schemes, including, as expected, the A25 western bypass of Danby and the upgrading of the A6 between Stainton and the Brunswickian border to 3-lane expressway standard. The latter received some funding from Brunswick as part of the “Ynysforgan-Stainton Route Development Programme” – of all Arransian roads, this is the one Brunswickian hauliers complain about most. Galt also approved the Expressway upgrade of the A5 between Owmby and Pentrich, removing the last non-Expressway section between the border and Hebburn. Linked to the A25 scheme, Galt gave the go-ahead for the widening of the A3 Expressway between Bowood and the A31 junction to three-lane standard. At Shorland, where the existing road negotiated a narrow concrete cutting through a residential area, the widening included an entirely new alignment about 1.5 miles long, which would result in a one-way loop around a built-up area unique in either Arransia or Brunswick. The pace of construction on the A3 "Porcupine Gap" section was stepped up, and Galt confidently expected that it would be completed in time for the 2007 summer season. Some Brunswickians commented that Arransia was now building new roads rather more enthusiastically than they were at home. Galt did, however, refer the issue of the upgrading of the A61 between Holborough and Sorbie to a commission of enquiry. This is a seriously overloaded road that negotiates the steep and highly scenic Shoulder of Mutton Pass. It has received some S2+1 sections on the steeper hills, but even so often sees cars overtaking lorries in the right-hand lane of the three, and has a poor accident record. Given that it traverses some of Arransia's most spectacular countryside, a straightforward upgrade to Expressway standard is highly controversial. One option under consideration is a mile-long bored tunnel under the top of the pass, but this obviously would be extremely expensive. Galt also approved the electrification of the main railway lines between Holborough, Ferndale and Howick, currently the main stronghold of steam working, and the upgrade of the main line between Danby and Ormsby for 140 mph running, thus potentially allowing a 1½-hour express timing for the 174 miles between Danby and Chelsea. Environmental campaigners often complain about the fact that there are over 30 passenger flights a day between the two cities, half of them using wide-body jets. In addition, he approved the construction of a train ferry berth at Beadnell which would allow the operation of freight train ferries between Arransia and Mayenne, thus reducing the pressure on the roads. The projected ferry would carry up to 60 100-ton bogie wagons, the equivalent of three long freight trains. Futures There remain a large number of projects that have gone through the public inquiry stage but are still awaiting funding. It should be stressed that the main factor holding back road-building in Arransia is not political will but availability of funds. Given that the Golcar bypass is under construction, the A6 link from Torrisholme through Frosterley to west of Golcar must also be a strong candidate. Realistically, nothing more beyond this and a scheme for the A61 are likely to be approved within Labour's four-year term of office. Of other schemes, the most pressing is probably the A7 upgrade between Danby and Ellerdine, which includes the unbypassed town of Clive. An all-purpose bypass for Clive capable of later upgrading may be an interim solution. In the same area, there is also a lot of pressure for the A31 from the Esk Bridge to Broxby to be at least dualled, as with the ever-growing freight traffic to Mayenne through Beadnell this has become an important strategic route. The A2 from Danby to Beadnell has also been approved for upgrade, and this may include a new, more direct cut-through to the A31 south of Rawdon. There are two sections to complete the A60 route from Stainton to Tetney on either side of the Coalbrook bypass, and the Edirn regeneration route of the A6 from Golcar to Aldminster via Ulpha has also been specified in detail. It is possible that this latter road may be downgraded to a simple all-purpose bypass of Ulpha, as the current traffic levels are not that great. The upgrade of the A4 from Kelthorpe to Wrangle has also gone through public inquiry – this is quite a long section but would require relatively few earthworks and could utilise the alignment of the already dual Thorganby and Fishtoft bypasses. After this we are in to the more blue-sky realm of projects that have had traffic assessments but not gone to the public inquiry stage. The upgrade of the A31 between the Esk Bridge and Ellerdine would fill an obvious gap, but this may end up simply receiving crawler lanes for heavy lorries. Then we are on to the eastern two-thirds of the A25 Danby ring road, including a big new bridge over the Esk, an entirely new Expressway number in the A8 from Petersburgh via Laithby to Whitcastle, and the much-needed but problematical A5 bypass of Hebburn. Cutting against the grain of the country south of the city, this would need very heavy earthworks and large viaducts over the Tean and Irk. To go to the north would involve negotiating easier country, but would need either a three-mile tunnel or a gigantic bridge to cross the Tean. A third alternative might be a a part on-line, part tunnel route just to the south of Hebburn city centre, but this would require extensive destruction of property and would not be so beneficial in taking traffic right out of the city. Return to Main Expressway Page
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