Atlas Dating: 1980s

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

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owen b
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Post by owen b »

1986 : Sudbury (Suffolk) A134 bypass
Owen
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Post by Ritchie333 »

A31 Alton Bypass - 1964.
A31 Arlesford Bypass - 1988.
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Post by SteveA30 »

This Atlas Project has yielded many answers to long standing questions. Great stuff.
I'd put the Alton bypass at about 1967, from hazy unreliable memories.

What is the source of your info Ritchie?. Is it online?

I remember Alton as a major bottleneck. The A31 then seemed a lot busier than it is now. It was a good alternative to the A30/A33 in those days and, had as much, if not more dualling than the other route, especially after the Alton bypass added even more.
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Post by Ritchie333 »

SteveA30 wrote: What is the source of your info Ritchie?. Is it online?
I used to work in Alton and this was the date the locals who were around think was most likely. Perhaps they meant it started construction in '64 and opened in '67? I don't think it could have opened later than this because it was designed to be fully grade separated, looking like a much more important route before the M3 got the construction go-ahead around '69.

By the way, I did see a web site that said that historically what became the A325 / A31 was a more important route than the A30 / A33.

Alresford bypass is from personal memory.
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Post by SteveA30 »

That roughly tallies with my own thoughts. By the mid 70's, the A31 west of the A325 rbt west of Farnham, had become so quiet, it was almost a backwater. There were no further improvements until the late 80's and 90's, with Alresford and Bentley bp's.

This lead me to think that the Alton bp pre-dated the M3 go-ahead and, was meant to be a major future route, although having the 2 routes meet on the Winchester bp, before the Hockley lights, was always its Achilles Heel.
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Post by marknotgeorge »

1980: A52 Pentagon Island to Spondon Bypass - now part of Brian Clough Way.
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ABeaton
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Post by ABeaton »

1987: A41(M) downgraded to A41

1986: A22 Uckfield By-Pass
A75 Gatehouse of Fleet By-Pass

1985: A8 Port Glasgow rerouted to a new alinement.
A13 Orsett-A1014 Dualled
A45 Ipswich By-Pass West (Now A14)
A55 Colwyn Bay By-Pass
A63 Hessle By-Pass. Old road numbered A1105

1984: A373 Tiverton By-Pass
A12 Copdock By-Pass
A55 Hawarden By Pass
A71 Crosshouse By-Pass
A9: Blair Atholl By-Pass
Dartford, the town with 4 by-passes.
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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

Hi Alistair

I see you have a date of 1985 for the A13 dualling from A128 to A1014. Do you know when the A13 from A1014 to A130 was dualled? Struggling to find dates for both these sections!

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ABeaton
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Post by ABeaton »

Sunil_of_Yoxley wrote:Hi Alistair

I see you have a date of 1985 for the A13 dualling from A128 to A1014. Do you know when the A13 from A1014 to A130 was dualled? Struggling to find dates for both these sections!

Sunil
I belive the section between the A1014 to the A130 was done in two sections. The section from the A176 to the A130 I think is done by 1984 as it is seen on the 1984 edition of Landranger map 178. The last section of the A13 dualled in Essex is outside the skope of this thead as that section was done in the 1990's.
Dartford, the town with 4 by-passes.
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Post by Brenley Corner »

I remember as part of numerous trips to Southend in the 70's to see relatives that the Pitsea Bypass (A176 to to A130) was a lot earlier, probably during the 70's, and seemed to be constructed around the same time as Basildon new town was developed. It ran from a roundabout with the A176 to a roundabout at the east end of Pitsea- roughly where the A130 to Canvey and to the A127 crosses it, although that road is later than the A13 Bypass.

As for an exact date, I'm not sure.

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ABeaton
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Post by ABeaton »

Brenley Corner wrote:I remember as part of numerous trips to Southend in the 70's to see relatives that the Pitsea Bypass (A176 to to A130) was a lot earlier, probably during the 70's, and seemed to be constructed around the same time as Basildon new town was developed. It ran from a roundabout with the A176 to a roundabout at the east end of Pitsea- roughly where the A130 to Canvey and to the A127 crosses it, although that road is later than the A13 Bypass.

As for an exact date, I'm not sure.
You're right. I had a look at my 1:50,000 map 178 from 1974 and it is shown as under contuction. an exact date can't be in this thread as this is the 1980's part of the dating project.
Dartford, the town with 4 by-passes.
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owen b
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Post by owen b »

"I had a look at my 1:50,000 map 178 from 1974 and it is shown as under contuction. an exact date can't be in this thread as this is the 1980's part of the dating project."

I have a copy of the same map. Interestingly the A13/A1014 GSJ and a short stretch of D2 either side is already complete.
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Post by Peter_B5470 »

A6 Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge bypass - Aug 1987
Westen section of bypassed A6 became A5004, eastern section became B5470
Formerly part of London - Inverness Trunk road
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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

Thanks for the information guys. Would Pitsea Flyover also date from the 1970s? I also have a date of 1993 for the "magicalisation" of Sadlers Farm at the A130 end, is that right?
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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

owen b wrote:"I had a look at my 1:50,000 map 178 from 1974 and it is shown as under contuction. an exact date can't be in this thread as this is the 1980's part of the dating project."

I have a copy of the same map. Interestingly the A13/A1014 GSJ and a short stretch of D2 either side is already complete.
If you Google "Stanford-le-Hope bypass" you get a news article mentioning a single carriageway section dating from the 1950s. Does anyone have any more info?
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Post by Brenley Corner »

owen b wrote:Interestingly the A13/A1014 GSJ and a short stretch of D2 either side is already complete.
I also remember that GSJ from my frequent trips to Southend. It was there from as far back as i can remember. The new A13 D2 was tied in at either end. Frequent users will note the wider central reservation at that point, and (the last time I went) the strange layout of the 60s/70's lighting columns.

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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

Brenley Corner wrote:the strange layout of the 60s/70's lighting columns.
Went down the A13 from Southend on Sunday 12th, and saw new high pressure lighting between the A1014 Stanford-le-Hope junction and the footbridge just west of it (see my website). Unfortunately it was evening, the sun was against us and my pics were woeful :cry:
(we went to Southend that morning via the A127)
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Post by Brenley Corner »

Sunil_of_Yoxley wrote:
Brenley Corner wrote:the strange layout of the 60s/70's lighting columns.
Went down the A13 from Southend on Sunday 12th, and saw new high pressure lighting between the A1014 Stanford-le-Hope junction and the footbridge just west of it (see my website). Unfortunately it was evening, the sun was against us and my pics were woeful :cry:
(we went to Southend that morning via the A127)
Sunil

This picture of yours shows the wide central reservation and lighting layout just as I remember it!!

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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

Hi Tony,

Yes, they've only appeared to have replaced the lamps to HP, so the columns are still there AFAICS!
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Post by Sunil_of_Yoxley »

Sunil_of_Yoxley wrote: 1989 - A406 South Woodford to Barking (well, more Beckton really!)
(NB: date based on SI, not 100% certain if it opened that year)
Correction!

December 1987 - according to this interesting website
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