A1 by Night: Against the Clock

Night workers adding an extra lane to the A1 battle machine breakdowns, tiredness, and danger traffic as they race to get the road open by 6am.

The A1 is Britain’s longest road and a major route through Newcastle, but parts of it need an upgrade. The stretch of the A1 that runs from Scotswood to North Brunton in Newcastle sees 50,000 cars pass through it every day.

A project to add an extra lane northbound and southbound to this stretch of the road is under way, with the end goal being more space for traffic. We follow Shaun Lee, part of the team that closes the road, and David Lynn, the construction manager on the scheme, who knows all about the frustrations of being stuck in traffic..

While construction teams are working to get the building work done, environmental advisor Becka has an important, but quite different, role on the night shift. Her job is to make sure that environmental rules are being followed, to protect the natural world while construction is taking place. As 4am rolls round, the teams must be off the road to allow traffic management to reopen the A1. Will they make their deadline?