A55: Chester - Holyhead (North Wales Expressway)

This is a major national trunk route of some length which is a dual carriageway trunk route for its entire length. This must make it pretty unique, and I can't think of another candidate - the A14 is probably the closest, but for the final bit into Felixstowe; the A12 does pretty well also. The A180 probably doesn't qualify as a "major national trunk route", the A580 is a bit of a regional oddity, and I guess the A42 is a bit of a fraud, being a motorway on the cheap. I suspect there are some Scottish candidates too (the one that goes up the east coast from Dundee??), but anyway, I digress...

The A55 originally started in Chester city centre, out through Saltney (where it crossed into Wales), towards Broughton and Hawarden (birthplace and current home of Michael Owen - England's most famous Welshman!) and Ewloe. It gave its number (in 1970 I think) to the new Chester Southern Bypass, originally running from the A41 junction near Christleton, but now extended further (1991) to link into the M53. The bypass originally ended at Broughton (there is still a lengthy spur from the original bypass down to the A549 at Broughton). The next dualled bit from Broughton to Ewloe (where there is a funky grade separated interchange with the A494) came in the late 70s/early 80s (I think) and was one of the first dualled bits of the Expressway.

From Ewloe, the A55 "proper" starts, and gets busier as this is where the bulk of the traffic coming from the M56 joins in. We also have plenty of "Gwasanatheau" from here onwards (the first coming almost immediately, westbound). Most of the A55 is grade separated, and the early sections have a general motorway feel - it is easy to forget that fairly recently the A55 was a dog of a road, one long drag through one depressing Welsh village after another (Holywell, Abergele, others with plenty of Llan-whatsits in there).

I think most of the main bypass sections were built in the 70s and early 80s, but some are very recent (mid 90s maybe), and the missing links were probably only tied up finally about 5 years ago.

After Holywell, there is a fantastic sheer drop off the Clwyd range of hills (just before St Asaph), then we get dumped onto the St Asaph bypass - one of the first bits to be upgraded, and very substandard - narrow, twisty, noisy. I think they were rebuilding this bit last time I was down there. This continues round Abergele, and before long we join the Colwyn Bay bypass - referred to elsewhere as a secret motorway.

This stretch has motorway-style regulations (but a 50 limit I think), and runs through cuttings and tunnels right through the town centre of Colwyn. I reckon it opened in about 1986/7. Before long we hit the A470 (Wales's "Great North Road"), and then the Conwy Bypass, with its superb snaking tunnel under the Conwy Estuary. If not pushed for time, I try to go the old way through Conwy, over the famous bridge next the Castle and old suspension bridge. Picture postcard stuff, but you miss it all if you go via the tunnel. Conwy is a pleasant little town, so much more now that it is not choked with traffic. I think the bypass opened around 1990-ish.

We then hit the best bit, right along the coast, and (on a rare sunny day) you'd easily think you were driving along the Cote d'Azur coast road to Monte Carlo. There are two further tunnels, which go right through the cliffs - the original tunnels were here when the road was single carriageway, so have no idea when they were built. Without the tunnels, there could have been no road at all, so I guess they must date from Victorian times.

Rob Richardson has some information on the tunnels:

The dates the tunnels were opened are: Penmaenbach Tunnel - Opened 1932 and (3.5 miles further west) Pen-y-Clip Opened 1935. I have sent a couple of period postcards for your info - on the Penmaenbach Tunnel Portal the date 1932 is displayed and on the Pen-y-Clip Tunnel the date 1935 is shown.

When the road was dualled, new tunnels were drilled alongside to carry the second carriageway. The westbound carriageways are the new ones, and go straight through; the older carriageway clings to the coast, and is narrower, with HGVs banned from the outside lane.

Disappointingly, this stretch has a couple of annoying roundabouts (Penmaenmawr bypass I think, off the top of me head), the only ones on the A55, and are not exactly anticipated as you whizz along.

We continue to stay close to the coast, with wonderful vistas (on a clear day) of Snowdonia to the left. The stretch towards Bangor is 1970s (wide grass central reservation), and we soon meet the A5. Until last year, this was the end of the A55, with the Bangor bypass (a continuation of the A55) taking the A5 number up to Holyhead.

This has now been renumbered A55 following the opening of the new dual carriageway that has just been built right across the width of Anglesey. This makes sense, as we now have one continuous dual carriageway route right along the North Wales coast to Holyhead.

The Bangor bypass ends at Britannia Bridge, a railway bridge across the Menai Straits. To relieve traffic on Telford's Menai suspension bridge alongside, a road-deck was built on top of the railway to carry the A5 to Holyhead - don't know when, but this pre-dates the Bangor bypass (early 80s).

Once we hit Anglesey, we pass Llanfair PG, the abridged name for the famous village with 50-odd letters, but which is actually a name made up by the railway company which built the line to Holyhead. After Llanfair PG, the A5 resurrects itself. In fact, it is the old single carriageway road across the island, which has kept its number - but as a secondary, non-trunk route. The new dual carriageway alongside takes the A55 number. Presumably, this was done to maintain the tradition of the A5 as the London-Holyhead trunk road, and keep the zonal boundary marker in place.

I've not been to Anglesey for about 5 years, so have not tried out the new road yet. Apparently, it now runs all the way into the port at Holyhead, so you can almost drive straight onto the Irish ferry from the A55. They have also built a new causeway across the channel that separates Holy Island from the "mainland" of Anglesey, in order to carry the new road.

Bob Sykes