From Dishforth up to the northern edge of Tyneside, the A19 is a major route running east of the A1, serving all the large and important towns that its more famous counterpart doesn't reach.
It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.
Motorways used to be really simple. Now they have electronic signals, variable speed limits, emergency lay-bys, part-time hard shoulders... Just what is so smart about Smart Motorways?