A38
From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
| A38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| View pictures (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| From: | Bodmin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To: | Mansfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 309.8 miles (498.6 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meets: | M1, M4, M5, M6, M32, M50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grid References | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start SX087684 End SK535610 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Counties | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cornwall • Derbyshire • Devon • Gloucestershire • Nottinghamshire • Somerset • Staffordshire • Warwickshire • Worcestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Related Pages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Originally, the A38 ran from Plymouth to Derby, but it was extended at both ends. It was known to some as "the longest country lane in England", and the south-western section was notorious at holiday times for the congestion. Fortunately, the M5 took care of that, and nowadays for most of its length the A38 is a fairly quiet road shadowing the M5 extremely closely. (I don't know how many junction signs on the M5 mention the A38, but it's a lot!)
Contents |
Route
Section 1: Bodmin - Exeter
It starts as a trunk road at a junction on the A30 north of Bodmin in Cornwall, heading in a southerly direction (not a good start for getting to Mansfield, heading around the East and South of the town before meeting the A30 again at another limited access junction.
The A38 dual-carriageway through Plymouth is called the Parkway and its route was first marked out in "The Plan for Plymouth" published as long ago as 1943. The route was reserved while development went on all around it, and opened in 1986/87. The older single road took a slightly different track through the middle of Crownhill before heading off to St Budeaux and the Tamar Bridge. It was a notorious traffic snarler-upper for many years before the bypass was eventually built.
An interesting point at the Tamar Bridge end of the Parkway is the old Devon County Council "ship" sign which was put up when the road was opened. Plymouth City Council took over responsibility for all services in Plymouth 1998, and Devon adopted a new logo. Plymouth have left the old Devon County sign in situ.
There's a three-level stacked roundabout junction with the A386 (the only three-level intersection in Devon), and then the road passes over the A374 roundabout. (When this roundabout opened, it was apparently the largest in Europe.) From memory, the next section of bypass round Plympton is three lanes each way, but after that you're onto the two-lane-each-way "Devon Expressway", a splendid sub-motorway road. It bypasses Ivybridge, South Brent (A385 junction), Buckfastleigh (A384 junction), Ashburton, Bickington (A383 junction) before coming to a cutting near Telegraph Hill; then it meets the A382, bypasses Chudleigh and passes though the forest of Great Haldon past the racecourse. Haldon Hill (and Telegraph Hill on the A380 are major obstacles in extending a Motorway south of Exeter.
After this the A380 from Torbay merges to form a three-lane road which bypasses Kennford. As you pass the next unassuming exit for the A379, be aware that this road is the original A38, and that to all intents and purposes you're now on the M5. There's only one more junction before the M5 proper -- the turn-off for the A30 towards Okehampton. Here the A38 vanishes for a while. Its previous route was round the Exeter bypass (now A379 and A3015), and along the B3181 via Broadclyst, Cullompton and Willand. For a brief while in the 60s, however, part of the M5 was designated as the A38 Cullompton Bypass, meaning the original road through Collumpton was numbered B3176. The two terminal roundabouts of the Cullompton Bypass have been since removed, leaving only the intermediate GSJ, now M5 J28.
Section 2: Waterloo Cross - Bristol
At junction 27 of the M5 (Waterloo Cross) the A38 starts again as non-primary. The section of road here was partially upgraded in the 60s, complete with two short D2 sections, and much of the single carriageway sections is clearly wide enough to indicate that it was once S3.
From Waterloo Cross, the road continues towards Somerset, with lots of quiet minor junctions to local Devon villages. Along this section, there is an Inn called the Poacher's Pocket, which has a picture of the road in the 60s, showing the S3 layout. Just after here, there is a climb uphill, aided by a climbing lane. At the end of the hill, the first, very short D2 section begins, allowing about thirty seconds of overtaking of any slower vehicles before narrowing back down to S2. A few miles along, the longer D2 section, which is about half a mile long begins, complete with a give-way junction leading to Holcombe Rogus. It is also on this D2 section that the road crosses into Somerset. Next up is the Beam Bridge junction, a nasty crossroads at the bottom of a hill, and still a local blackspot. The original A38 deviates here, going under the railway through a low bridge and then ending in a pile of rubble, while the current route goes over the railway. This was built in the 60s, probably to allow lorries to use the road without having to negotiate the low bridge. Past here, the road has very wide highway boundaries, possibly suggesting that the plan was to dual the road. The A38 now meets Perry Elm roundabout, built with the Wellington Relief Road not long before the M5 in the area was completed. The Relief Road itself was largely built by cobbling together existing local roads, but is a fairly standard S2 bypass of a small town. As with many other bypasses, it is now on the edge of the town, with a new housing estate just yards from the road at some points, while there are many nursing homes on the other side. At the other end of the Relief Road, a new roundabout has recently (2009) been constructed, allowing access to the new Westpark 26 business development. Just yards ahead, the road reaches Chelston Roundabout, on which three arms are A38, the third being a S3 spur to M5 J26, allowing Wellington easy access to the M5. For some reason, Exeter is still signed down the Relief Road, meaning the M5 is signed as 'Motorway M5'.
After Chelston Roundabout, the A38 passes through part of Chelston itself, before being subjected to a 50 limit while going round a couple of tight bends, which are another local blackspot. Just up the road from here is a crossroads at the World's End Inn, with side roads leading to West Buckland (which is used locally as a shortcut to the motorway) and Bradford-On-Tone. After this junction, the limit becomes NSL again, though the road is busy enough that the average speed is usually about 50. Passing Sheppey's Cider, the road becomes fairly straight and flat for the next couple of miles, before reaching Rumwell and being limited down to 50 again. After passing through Rumwell, the limit is cut again, to 40, and climbs up a hill into Taunton. Just like many other major roads replaced by motorways, there is no Taunton Bypass for A38 traffic, so the road becomes an urban crawl, beginning by reaching the 30 limit at Silk Mills Roundabout, where the unsigned A3065 links the A38 to the A358 and old A361.
In Taunton, the A38 runs up Wellington New Road and Wellington Road, past the Musgrove Park hospital. It skirts the town centre and then runs along East Reach, and left along Victoria Parkway. At the next roundabout the road turns right along the "Toneway", a dual carriageway running parallel to the River Tone. The next junction is a TOTSO where the A358 carries straight on, and the A38 turns left over a bridge to Bridgwater Road. Then it's joined by the A3259 and becomes dual carriageway for a mile or so. The A361 branches off to the right, and the road continues via Adsborough to North Petherton.
Here there's a spur to M5 junction 24, and then you run along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal into Bridgwater. Here you join an old dual-carriageway relief road round the town centre: this is a TOTSO, since it comes in from the left as the A39, and A38 traffic needs to turn right. There are traffic lights at the A372 junction, and a roundabout at the A39 junction. The road is single-carriageway heading out of Bridgwater, then there's a dual-carriageway section at Dunball with a spur to M5 junction 23. The road runs straight to Pawlett, then to Huntspill, where the land has been drained by the artificial Huntspill River. Then it continues to Highbridge and over the railway.
There's then a spur to M5 junction 22 (I told you the A38 and M5 were pretty friendly!), where the road diverges slightly from the M5 and becomes primary, though I'm not quite sure why because it's not the signposted route into Bristol. It passes the ancient fort at Brent Knoll, then near East Brent the A370 leaves at a roundabout. It crosses the M5 again, and at Lower Weare bridges the River Axe. Then there's a right turn to the old A371, followed by another junction where the new A371 (Axbridge bypass) merges from the right. It crosses the border into what used to be Avon (now North Somerset) and arrives at Sidcot, where the A371 leaves for Weston-super-Mare. Then near Churchill there are traffic lights at the junction with the A368.
The road continues via Redhill to Bristol International Airport at Lulsgate Bottom, then runs between the reservoirs at Barrow Gurney and across the border into Bristol. Here it runs along Bridgwater Road and along Bedminster Down to a one-way system at Bedminster, which meets the A3029/A4174 outer ring road. At this point the "A38" signs cease, and the road is simply signposted "Bedminster", traffic for Bristol city centre being directed along the A3029 towards the Cumberland Basin, and then the A4.
The A38 originally ran through the city centre, but it's possible to rejoin it by taking the A4044 former Inner Circuit Road along Redcliffe Way, Temple Way and Bond Street to St James Barton roundabout. At this point it starts again (as non-primary), but the signs won't tell you that! You'll need to take the road signposted "Horfield" (this is part of an attempt to direct northbound traffic up the M32 instead). The road runs up Stokes Croft and Cheltenham Road, then bears right into Gloucester Road, through Bishopston and Horfield. Then it's Filton Road, and (in Filton) Gloucester Road North to a roundabout meeting the A4174 Avon Ring Road (running eastbound only; it's not complete and will probably never be so). It becomes dual carriageway past Filton Airfield to Patchway, then runs over the railway and past the Aztec West Business Park (say hello to Herr Bratsche here!) up to junction 16 of the M5.
Section 3: Bristol - Tewkesbury (M50)
Beyond the M5 it passes through the village of Almondsbury and over the M4, to resume running parallel with the M5. It runs through Alveston and around Thornbury, and past the Young Offenders Institution at Eastwood Park. At Stone it crosses into Gloucestershire proper -- the bit from Filton northwards is ex-Avon and now South Gloucestershire. It crosses the railway line at Berkeley Road (the OS map has this stretch down as Roman, but I don't know which one) and has a short dual-carriageway section near the wildlife sanctuary at Slimbridge. The next village is called Cambridge, but I believe that's with a short "A" after the local River Cam. Then it meets the A419 at a roundabout, and has another short dual-carriageway section.
The next roundabout connects with a road that I believe is technically the B4008, but is actually yet another spur from the M5 (junction 12); primary status resumes here. There's a dual carriageway around Quedgeley, after which the original A38 through Gloucester was originally renumbered A430 but now unclassified. The A38 now runs through the outskirts of Gloucester, with a dual-carriageway section at Coney Hill, and a roundabout meeting the A417. Here one turns left for the A38, which is once-again non-primary. A few roundabouts later one turns right, and comes out on the junction with the A40.
From the A40 roundabout near Longford, the A38 runs roughly NNE via the villages of Twigworth, Norton and Coombe Hill, where there's a junction with the A4019 to Cheltenham. A dual-carriageway section continues to just south of Tewkesbury, and at the next roundabout the road takes a sudden turn to the right, avoiding the southern part of the town. Traffic turns sharp left at the junction with the A438 and then right at a roundabout in the town centre. The road then turns left again to cross the River Severn, after which the A438 branches off to the left, with the A38 continuing via The Mythe and Shuthonger to a "dumb-bell" junction with the M50 (junction 1).
Section 4: Tewkesbury (M50) - Birmingham
From here on all maps seem to show the A38 as a primary road, which is surprising since it still runs parallel to the M5 - indeed this section of the M5 is the oldest. It crosses into Worcestershire at Stratford, then runs close to the course of the River Severn via Holly Green (A4104 junction), Severn Stoke, Draycott and Kempsey. It crosses the A4440 Worcester ring road at a roundabout before heading into the centre of Worcester. Here there's a TOTSO with the A44 where the A38 turns left, immediately continuing over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, then turning right into the dual-carriageway City Walls Road and round the Corn Market roundabout. After this the road splits into two one-way streets, of which the northbound one, Foregate Street, gives its name to the adjoining railway station. The road out of Worcester, the Tything, forks into two, the left-hand road being a spur of the A449; the A38 itself passes under the A449 with no access, although at Fernhill Heath another spur allows full access from the north.
Martin Hussingtree isn't a new member of SABRE, but the next village, where the road's joined by the A4538. The next major settlement is Droitwich, which the A38 bypasses to the west. After crossing the railway, canal and river Salwarpe, it becomes dual carriageway with a multi- grade junction with the A4133; the A442 junction has to make do with a normal roundabout. The next single-carriageway section is a Roman road leading to junction 5 of the M5 near Wychbold, another "dumb-bell" with two roundabouts. After passing through Upton Warren we come to the outskirts of Bromsgrove. Here the A38 skirts the town centre to the east, meeting the A448 at a roundabout and continuing to junction 1 of the M42 near Lickey End. This junction only allows access to the eastbound M42, although it also incorporates a curious cannon -- the B4096 both joins and leaves the roundabout on the eastern side of the A38.
Section 5: Birmingham - Derby
Beyond Spaghetti Junction, the A38 runs alongside the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. After crossing the A4040 again it turns right to bridge the canal, meeting the A452 at a roundabout in Tyburn. The A4097 leaves at a roundabout in Minworth, after which the A38 turns north to bypass Sutton Coldfield, leading to Bassetts Pole, a five-way roundabout meeting the A453 and A446 (which sneaks up alongside it). Beyond the roundabout the new M6 Toll can be seen sidling up from the left (west) and shadowing the A38 on its way to the A5. (If you turn left at the first available exit - a quarry - you can get a fine view of the M6 (Toll) southbound toll plaza from the adjacent overbridge.) The large A5 roundabout was transformed recently by the creation of a grade-separated A38 as part of the A5 Weeford and Hints bypass (opened September 2005). This junction also provides access to junction T4 of the M6 Toll.
Passing the Young Offenders' Institution at Swinfen Hall, we then come to a well-known TOTSO junction. In design it's a standard motorway- style junction, with a roundabout and slip roads down to a dual carriageway below. This road used to be the A38 straight through the junction, but nowadays the left-hand section has been renumbered as the A5148, with A38 traffic having to negotiate the roundabout. (The junction also incorporates the A5206 to Lichfield.) The next junction is with the A5192, but it's limited access; only northbound exit and southbound entry are permitted. Then at another limited-access junction near Streethay, the road is joined by traffic from the historical A38 through Lichfield, now the A5127.
The next section runs along the course of a Roman road (Ryknild Street), and has several grade-separated junctions, of which the most important is the A513 junction at Alrewas. The next major junction is with the A5121, which is the original course of the A38 through Burton-on- Trent; the modern A38 runs alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. Then the road regains its Roman course, crossing the A5132 at a simple grade-separated junction near Willington and coming to a three-level stacked roundabout where it meets the A50, running past the Toyota car factory at Etwall.
The next section bypasses Derby, with the original road renumbered as the A5250. Here the A516 joins at one junction and leaves at the next, then we hit our first roundabout for many miles, at the junction with the A5111, shortly followed by another roundabout where we cross the A52. The A6 junction at Allestree is grade-separated, but after crossing the river Derwent we hit another roundabout - the junction with the A61. In fact the A61 only exists to the south of this junction, since the section to the north through Little Eaton has been superseded by the A38 and downgraded to a B-road.
Section 6: Derby - Mansfield
For this reason the A38 now swings north to run alongside it, with a multi-grade junction at Holbrook allowing access to the A609 to Belper (which has no direct access). A junction with the A610 allows access to Ripley, then at the next junction the A61 reappears running north and the A38 swings eastwards. This section of the A38 supersedes the original A615, which formerly ran through Alfreton and South Normanton and is also now a B-road. The roads join at the roundabout at junction 28 of the M1.
From here, the final seven miles is partly on new construction and partly on former B roads, as it makes its way through the Mansfield hinterland to an ignominious end on a 4-digit road, the A6009 Mansfield Ring Road. Because of the convoluted start at Bodmin, both ends of the A38 actually face roughly the same direction, north- east.
Thus ends the longest two-digit A road in Great Britain, and also the longest A road entirely in England. At 292 miles, it is beaten only by the A1, which it so nearly meets. Through traffic from the A38 for Worksop via the A60 or for the A1 via Ollerton and Dukeries Junction leaves the A38 at Sutton in Ashfield, to skirt Mansfield to the north on the A6075 – this eventually crosses the A1 at Tuxford to end on the A57 at Darlton, in the 1-zone. The A6075, and not the A38, is the through route at Mansfield, so Darlton is the spiritual end of the A38.
History
Waterloo Cross - Bristol
Most of the route through Somerset was upgraded in the 1930's as part of the unemployment relief schemes. South of Dunball/Puriton, more work was done between 1950-1970 to keep the road moving until the M5 opened. Since then, no major work has been done to the road.
Moving on to Bridgwater, the A38 used to continue up Taunton Road / St Mary's Street to Cornhill, where it met the A39, and the two 'multiplexed' down Fore Street, across the bridge and along Eastover to St John Street where the A372 diverged. Monmouth Street has simply been widened since the 1922 Road Lists were drawn up, and the A38/A39 diverge has always been at the Cross Rifles. Heading north, out of town on the Bristol Road, the dualled section simply saw a new two-lane road built parallel to the original for northbound traffic, making an S2 road D2 overnight. Between Dunball and Pawlett, there are various kinks that were straightened, and then the road used to run through Pawlett village along Old Main Road and Manor Road. Two loops either side of Bleak Bridge also mark the pre-1930 route, but heading north through Huntspill and Highbridge, the road has simply been widened where possible. The mini roundabout junction with the B3139 Market Street was built in the 1990's with the new Tyler Way access to Newtown, and the one outside Asda was added in 2007/8 to serve the new store.
At the Edithmead roundabout (M5 / B3140), Tarmac can still be seen running through the middle of the island, and then at White Cross (Fox & Goose), the mini dualled section (now D1)is another on-line widening. At East Brent, the road used to run along the A370's route, forking right at the war memorial along Old Bristol Road (now closed off). There is the obvious realignment for the M5 bridge, then the loops of Old Chapel Road in Rooksbridge, the old bridge at the former New Moon Inn and the layby opposite the Badgworth Turning. Otherwise the road has just been widened and improved. At Lower Weare, the A38 used to go left up Old Coach Road, to what must have been a TOTSO in Cross. This then emerged at Cross Crossroads with the A371. Despite the modern route being called Turnpike Road on some maps, I believe it was constructed in the 1930's. Heading north up Shute Shelve Hill, we used to pass under the Cheddar Valley Railway line, but the next major change comes beyond Churchill Crossroads, where Lower Langford has been bypassed. The A38 formerly travelled along B3133 and langford Road.
The next obvious realignment is at Lulsgate, opened since 2000?, where the road was diverted to the east in a great loop around an extended runway. I think, however, that I shall let someone else fill in Bristol.
Lydiate Ash
Future
Pictures
Section 1: Bodmin - Exeter
Section 2: Waterloo Cross - Bristol
 Near Beam Bridge, an accident blackspot despite the road having been bypassed by the M5. |
 The longer of two short D2 sections between M5 J26 and J27. |
 A B+B, the Poacher's Pocket. Inside is a picture of the road in the 1960s, confirming an S3 layout. |
 Near the Maidendown Stage, a café that didn't survive the coming of the M5. |
 Coming off the shorter D2 section, the width of the road suggests much of this section was once S3. |
 The end of the road (until Exminster). J27 of the M5. |
Section 3: Bristol - Tewkesbury (M50)
Section 4: Tewkesbury (M50) - Birmingham
Section 5: Birmingham - Derby
Section 6: Derby - Mansfield
Links
Pathetic Motorways
CBRD
- Motorway Database - A38(M)
- A38(M) Video
- Motorway Database - A38 Devon Expressway
- Motorway Database - A38 Midlands
roadsUK
The Motorway Archive
Original Author(s): Tim, Guy Barry, Chris Goddard, Andy, Bob Sykes and Lez Watson
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A20·A21·A22·A23·A24·A25·A26·A27·A28·A29·A30·A31·A32·A33·A34·A35·A36·A37·A38·A39
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