A106 (Eastern Avenue)
| A106 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
| Under construction in 1922 | ||||
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| Eastern Avenue | ||||
| From: | Wanstead (TQ396877) | |||
| To: | Gallows Corner (TQ532905) | |||
| Distance: | 9 miles (14.5 km) | |||
| Met (1932): | A11, A114, A1008, A1081, A123, A1112, A12, A127 | |||
| Former Number(s): | A115 | |||
| Now part of: | A12 | |||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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The A106 was originally allocated to Eastern Avenue, which in combination with the A127 Southend Arterial Road, provided a new high quality route for motor traffic travelling from London to Chelmsford or Southend. Construction of Eastern Avenue and Southend Arterial Road began as a single project in early 1921, and the entire route opened to traffic on 9th June, 1924.
The official opening Of Eastern Avenue, and Southend Arterial Road was on 25 March 1925 by Prince Henry (later the Duke of Gloucester).
Most of Eastern Avenue was new-build wide single carriageway, except for the western section, which used the existing A115 Cambridge Park, and a section near Newbury Park station, which used an existing road (Hatch Lane). The latter became a notorious accident blackspot until the station and bridge were rebuilt in the 1960s. The road was 100 feet wide to allow for future dualling and a wide central reservation for a future light railway or tramway.
Not all the Newbury Park section was originally known on postal addresses as Eastern Avenue. Sections between the turnings were called Stapleford Gardens (with Stapleford Avenue) turned off it, Leyswood Gardens (between Stapleford Avenue and Leyswood Drive) and so on. Confusion with mail caused all these addresses to be renamed as Eastern Avenue some time between 1963 and 1967.
Near the end of World War II, recognising that most long distance traffic took this route, rather than the old Roman road through Ilford and Romford, the A106 was renumbered as part of the A12, with the old A12 route becoming the A118.
The current A106 maintains a connection with its eastern namesake in that the section near Hackney Wick was intended as the western terminus of an "Eastern Avenue Extension" and is known as Eastway. Eventually by 1999, the current A12 was indeed extended as far as Hackney Wick, though it also took over the northern half of the A102 East Cross Route.
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