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The York Outer Ring Road is a ring road around the city of York, England. The south-eastern section is part of the A64 and the north-western section is the A1237.
Contents
History
The ring road was built in two parts. The first, the York Bypass, was opened in 1976. The second section was constructed in three phases. The first phase, the northern section between the A19 and the A64, opened in 1986, the second and third sections opened the following year - phase two was between the A64 and the A59 and phase three was the short section between the A59 and A19 - this section took longer to construct due to it having to cross the River Ouse and the East Coast Main Line. Phase three was opened by the Secretary of State for Transport Paul Channon on 11 December 1987.
Route
The south-eastern section (A64) runs as a continuous dual carriageway with grade separated junctions at Grimston Bar (A1079/A166), Fulford (A19) and Askham Bar (A1036).
The north-western section (A1237) is a single carriageway road, and has ten roundabouts. Congestion immediately became a problem, especially at peak times, and the 1989 Department for Transport's Roads for Prosperity white paper included improvements to the section between (A19 to the A64). The proposals were for a new continuous through-route running parallel to the existing road with just a single grade separated junction at the B1363. The existing road, and the roundabouts, would have been retained for local access. The plans were subsequently dropped.
Timeline
1976: A64 York bypass completed
1984: Start of construction of A1237 Phase I (A19 to A64)
1985: Start of construction of A1237 Phase II (A64 to A59) and Phase III (A59 to A19)
1986: Phase I completed
September 1987: Phase II completed
December 1987: Phase III completed