welwyn was noted for its congestion since the beginning of the 20th century, but in 1927 it got what is claimed to be the first by-pass in britain. the a1 was upgraded to motorway standards north of welwyn in the 1960s, and in 1973 the motorway was extended south past the village, by-passing the existing by-pass. today the village is the point where the six-lane motorway merges into four lanes and is the site of extensive traffic jams in the evening peak. a decade ago there were extensive plans to widen the whole road through the area to eight lanes, and to upgrade the existing junction to create a long one-way system running the length of the village. these plans were shelved, but recently plans to provide a climbing lane at least on the section north of the village have been discussed.