A1(M) Leeming to Barton Widening
North Yorkshire, UK · 2013–2018 (opened March 2018) · £400 million
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchThe project successfully upgraded a critical section of the A1 to motorway standard, improving safety and journey times. - BIM was extensively used, demonstrating its benefits in large-scale infrastructure projects. - Significant archaeological finds were made and managed during construction, highlighting the importance of pre-construction surveys. - The project faced challenges due to the collapse of Carillion, requiring adjustments to the delivery model.
Key engineering challenges
Upgrading an existing dual carriageway to a three-lane motorway standard while maintaining traffic flow. - Constructing numerous new bridges and associated infrastructure in a live traffic environment. - Managing complex archaeological discoveries along the route. - Implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) for design and construction coordination.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- National Highways (formerly Highways England)
- Lead contractor
- Carillion and Costain Joint Venture (later solely Costain after Carillion's collapse)
- Lead designers
- N/A (Integrated design and build, with BIM implementation)
- Project type
- upgrade
- Scale
- 12 miles (19.3 km) of A1 upgraded to three-lane motorway standard (A1(M)); construction of 10 new bridges.
- Disciplines
- civil; structural; geotechnical; environmental; transport planning; archaeology
- Standards & frameworks
- NEC3; DMRB; CDM Regulations; BIM Level 2
Sources: National Highways (https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/archaeology/a1-leeming-to-barton/) - Constructing Excellence (https://constructingexcellence.org.uk/a1m-leeming-to-barton/) - SteelConstruction.info (https://steelconstruction.info/Bridges_on_A1_Leeming_to_Barton_upgrade) - Autodesk (https://damassets.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/campaigns/emea/images/customer-success-story-a1m-a4-en-uki-fy18.pdf)