The '''A66''' is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road (Margary 82) from Scotch_Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North_Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria. It is anomalously numbered since west of Penrith it trespasses into Name Zone 5; this is because it originally terminated at the A6 in Penrith, but was extended further west in order to create one continuous east-west route.
From its eastern terminus between Redcar and Middlesbrough, it runs past Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington mainly as four to six lane Dual-carriageway, becoming motorway standard as the '''A66(M)''' shortly before meeting junction 57 of the A1(M). It continues west across the Pennines from junction 55 of the A1 road at Scotch_Corner, past Brough, Appleby, Penrith, Keswick and Cockermouth, and on through the northern reaches of the Lake_District, before arriving at the coastal town of Workington. The equivalent of the A66 in the United_States was Route_66 which ran from Los_Angeles in the west to Chicago in the east.
==Gallery==
image:A6611.JPG|This statue on the roundabout at the start of the A66 east of Middlesbrough represents steel being poured
image:A66mids.JPG|A66 elevated section in Middlesbrough with the transporter bridge in the background
image:A6610.JPG|A66 in Stockton-on-Tees, looking east
image:Scotch99.JPG|A66 just west of Scotch_Corner junction with the A1, looking east
image:Scotch98.JPG|A66 just west of Scotch Corner junction with the A1, Scotch Corner Hotel in background
image:A66bassenthwaite2.JPG|A66 at Bassenthwaite_Lake in Cumbria, looking west
image:A66basenthwaite1.JPG|A66 at Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria, looking east
==Transpennine Dualling==
The middle section of the A66 between Scotch_Corner on the A1 and Penrith on the M6 forms one of the key transpennine trunk routes and has one of the worst road safety records in the UK. Various bypass and upgrades have been constructed since the early 1970s giving the current mix of single and dual-carriageway sections. In 2002, after many years of local campaigning, the Transport Minister John_Spellar gave support for the upgrading of the remaining single carriageway sections by the Highways_Agency. The first three projects began construction in early 2006 with the whole route between the A1 and M6 due to be dualled by 2011, by which time the A1 at Scotch Corner is also due to have been upgraded to Motorway standard.
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
! Section || Start || End || Dual-carriageway || Notes
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! M6-A6
| M6 J40
| A6
| Opened 1971
|
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Penrith Bypass
| A6
| Brougham
| Opened 1971
|
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Penrith-Temple Sowerby
| Brougham
| Winderwath
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:teal; color:white"
! Temple Sowerby Bypass
| Winderwath
| Temple Sowerby East
| Due ''2008''
| Construction started February 2006
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Temple Sowerby-Appleby
| Temple Sowerby East
| Crackenthorpe
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Appleby Bypass
| Crackenthorpe
| Coupland
| Opened by 1982
|
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Warcop Bypass
| Coupland
| Brough West
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Brough Bypass
| Brough West
| Brough East
| Opened 1977
|
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Brough-Stainmore
| Brough East
| Stainmore
| Opened 1994
|
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Stainmore Bypass
| Stainmore
| Banks Gate
| Opened 1992
|
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Bowes Moor
| Banks Gate
| Bowes West
| Opened 1993
|
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Bowes Bypass
| Bowes West
| Bowes East
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Boldon Bypass
| Bowes East
| Cross Lanes
| Opened by 1983
|
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Cross Lanes-Greta Bridge
| Cross Lanes
| Greta Bridge West
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:green; color:white"
! Greta Bridge Bypass
| Greta Bridge West
| Greta Bridge East
| Opened 1980
|
|- style="background:teal; color:white"
! Greta Bridge-Stephen Bank
| Greta Bridge East
| Stephen Bank
| Due ''2008''
| Construction started March 2006
|- style="background:olive; color:white"
! Stephen Bank-Carkin Moor
| Stephen Bank
| Carkin Moor
| Due by ''2011''
| In planning
|- style="background:teal; color:white"
! Carkin Moor-Scotch Corner (A1)
| Carkin Moor
| Scotch Corner (A1)
| Due ''2008''
| Construction started March 2006
|}
All dates for openings are estimates based upon information provided by the Highways Agency and are subject to change or delay.
==A66(M)==
{{UK motorway routebox|
| motorway= A66(M)
| length-mi= 1
| length-km= 1.6
| direction= East - West
| start= Cleasby
| destinations= None
| end= Stapleton
| opening-date= 1965
| completion-date= complete route
| junctions= 45px
A1(M) motorway }} The '''A66(M)''' is a spur from the A1(M). It was opened in 1965 along with the A1(M) as part of the ''Darlington by-pass motorway''The Motorway Archive - A1(M) & A66(M) The Darlington By-Pass motorway Dates Page. It can only be accessed by northbound traffic on the A1(M) and has exit to this route southbound only. ===Junctions=== {| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: black; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" bgcolor="0080d0" style="color: white;font-size:120%;" | colspan="3" | '''A1(M) Motorway''' |- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white" | Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |- align="center" | Darlington '''A66'''
Stapleton, Barton | | ''Start of motorway'' |- | ''Start of motorway'' | A1(M) J57 | The SOUTH, Scotch_Corner '''A1(M)''' |} == See also == *List_of_motorways_in_the_United_Kingdom ==References==
== External links ==
* CBRD Motorway Database - A66(M)
* Pathetic Motorways - A66(M)
* SABRE article on the A66
* The Motorway Archive - A1(M) & A66(M) The Darlington By-Pass motorway
* A66 will be Fixed - This is the North East
* Highways Agency
6-0066
6-0066
6-0066
6-0066
6-0066
{{Template:UK motorways}}
A1(M) motorway }} The '''A66(M)''' is a spur from the A1(M). It was opened in 1965 along with the A1(M) as part of the ''Darlington by-pass motorway''The Motorway Archive - A1(M) & A66(M) The Darlington By-Pass motorway Dates Page. It can only be accessed by northbound traffic on the A1(M) and has exit to this route southbound only. ===Junctions=== {| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: black; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" bgcolor="0080d0" style="color: white;font-size:120%;" | colspan="3" | '''A1(M) Motorway''' |- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white" | Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |- align="center" | Darlington '''A66'''
Stapleton, Barton | | ''Start of motorway'' |- | ''Start of motorway'' | A1(M) J57 | The SOUTH, Scotch_Corner '''A1(M)''' |} == See also == *List_of_motorways_in_the_United_Kingdom ==References==