Haulage Firm Criticizes Cancellation of A1 Dualling Project

The head of the haulage company that hosted the initial announcement of the A1 dualling road scheme a decade ago believes the government ought to reconsider its choice to abandon the project. In 2014, Alan Ferguson welcomed former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron to Fergusons Transport in Cramlington for the unveiling of the £290 million initiative. However, following multiple delays and an expenditure of £67 million on preparatory work, the Labour government ultimately cancelled the scheme, which was planned for the stretch between Morpeth and Ellingham in Northumberland, citing it as “unfunded and unaffordable”. Mr. Ferguson stated: “It’s wasteful just to cancel it and throw that money away.” National Highways was tasked with implementing the project for the Department for Transport, and properties situated along the proposed route had been acquired. Nevertheless, the previous Conservative government had postponed it on three separate occasions. A decade prior, during his visit to the company’s depot, Cameron had informed the BBC: “Woe betide any politician that tried to stop the great green light that’s been given today.” Mr. Ferguson, who serves as the executive chairman of the haulage firm, described the choice to halt the scheme as “disappointing,” further remarking: “It’s been promised for years.” He emphasized its significance, stating: “It’s a major route up to Scotland. It connects the likes of Edinburgh to Newcastle and it’s an important road.” The company, which operates with over 300 employees and approximately 150 vehicles, had anticipated that a dualled A1 would accelerate deliveries and mitigate disruptions within the supply chain. He explained: “[Currently], the queues can be quite enormous and often you’re down to between nought and 10 miles per hour on the roads.” He added: “That’s not good for the environment, you’re burning a lot of fuel unnecessarily.” He further stated: “We still need it to happen, even though they’ve made the announcement, they’ve got to rethink it at some point.” Homeowners whose properties were acquired by National Highways for the project expressed that it would be “criminal not to go ahead” with the proposals after their lives were disrupted, while other individuals voiced being “disgusted” by the funds already expended. David Smith, the Labour Member of Parliament for North Northumberland, defended the government’s choice to abandon the initiative. Following the announcement of the decision, he commented: “I’m disappointed that this unfunded and un-costed commitment was promised for so long by the Conservative government, despite them never having either the money nor the intention to deliver the proposed project.” He also mentioned plans to meet with the transport secretary to discuss enhancements to the A1’s safety record across Northumberland.