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A257

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A257
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (3)
From:  Canterbury (TR151576)
To:  Sandwich (TR319586)
Distance:  11.1 miles (17.9 km)
Meets:  A28, A2050, B2046, A256
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Kent

Traditional Counties

Kent

Route outline (key)
A257 Canterbury - Sandwich
A257 Sandwich bypass - town centre

The A257 is a local route between Canterbury and Sandwich. It is non primary for its entire length, as goods traffic is signed via the A2 and A256, avoiding the centre of Wingham.

Route

The road leaves the A2050 New Dover Road (the original line of the A2), near the A28 Canterbury inner ring road, heading towards St Augustine's Abbey. A turn to the right at a small roundabout brings it on to the main alignment pretty well due east, which by and large follows an early Roman road - conceivably the first road the Romans built in Britain, leading inland as it does from their initial bridgehead and supply base at Richborough.

Near Shatterling

The A257 climbs uphill (there's a speed camera here) towards St Martin's hospital. It then enters the countryside before entering Littlebourne via a series of traffic calming measures. There is a turning for Howletts Wild Animal Park on the right. It then becomes rural again before Wingham, where the road is now reduced to a 20mph limit. There's a sharp left turn with the B2046 entering from the south. After leaving Wingham, it climbs uphill where the road is straighter, passing Wingham Wildlife Park.

The final section is a high quality single carriageway bypass of Ash and its associated vineyards. The A257 ends at a roundabout on the A256 Sandwich bypass.

History

The original draft for the A257 in Canterbury started on the A28 at Northgate and ran along Broad Street to its junction with Burgate, turning left to go along Longport, where the current route joins. The initial section from Northgate to Burgate became part of the A28 in the final published route list.

The current dogleg to meet the A2 (now A2050) at St George's Place was in place by 1960, with the original route along Longport and Church Street being downgraded by 1963.

In Sandwich, the A257 ran along Strand Street, Harnet Street and New Street. It met the A256 partway along New Street, coming from the Toll Bridge, where it ended. The remainder of Strand Street to the toll bridge was never part of the A257 (and is today a narrow one-way street); originally unclassified, it was later the B2055. The road was cut back some time after the construction of the Sandwich bypass.

The Sandwich Bypass opened in 1981. The Ash Bypass opened on 24 August 1993.




A257
Junctions
Crossings
Roads
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (3)
Bypassed Pre-Worboys, Ash - Coppermine - 19322.jpgSandwich area, c1950 - Coppermine - 6650.jpgThe Frog and Orange on A257 Shatterling - Geograph - 307595.jpg
Other nearby roads
Canterbury
Sandwich
A200-A299
A200 • A201 • A202 • A203 • A204 • A205 • A206 • A207 • A208 • A209 • A210 • A211 • A212 • A213 • A214 • A215 • A216 • A217 • A218 • A219
A220 • A221 • A222 • A223 • A224 • A225 • A226 • A227 • A228 • A229 • A230 • A231 • A232 • A233 • A234 • A235 • A236 • A237 • A238 • A239
A240 • A241 • A242 • A243 • A244 • A245 • A246 • A247 • A248 • A249 • A250 • A251 • A252 • A253 • A254 • A255 • A256 • A257 • A258 • A259
A260 • A261 • A262 • A263 • A264 • A265 • A266 • A267 • A268 • A269 • A270 • A271 • A272 • A273 • A274 • A275 • A276 • A277 • A278 • A279
A280 • A281 • A282 • A283 • A284 • A285 • A286 • A287 • A288 • A289 • A290 • A291 • A292 • A293 • A294 • A295 • A296 • A297 • A298 • A299
Defunct Itineraries: A239 • A268 • A270 • A273 • A274 • A277 • A278 • A280 • A282 • A285 • A292(W) • A292(E) • A295


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