A322

A322

View gallery (9)

From:

Guildford (SU992494)

To:

Bracknell (SU861689)

Length:

16.4 miles (26.4 km)

Meets:

A3, M3, A25, A30

Former Number(s):

B3018, A321

Primary Destinations

Bracknell • Guildford •

Highways Authorities

Bracknell Forest • Surrey

Traditional Counties

Berkshire • Surrey

Route outline (key)

A322	Guildford - M3 J3
A322	M3 J3 - Bracknell

Route

Guildford - Bracknell

The A322 originally started at Fox Corner, but following the rerouting of the A321 in the seventies, it now starts at the Bridge Street Gyratory in the centre of Guildford, next to the Friary shopping mall. It then heads along Woodbridge Road past plenty of industrial estates, before meeting the A25 at a set of lights. The A25 takes a "useless" multiplex for half a mile or so before it terminates at a roundabout where there's westbound access to the A3, whereupon the A322 reappears. However, heading towards Guildford town centre, both numbers are signed.

The A322 then briefly climbs upwards to meet the A323, which terminates at the traffic lights here. It then runs out of the Guildford suburbia and climbs the hill towards Worplesdon. Just before it gets to the top, there's a sharp swing round to the right at a roundabout with a road sometimes marked as a spur of the A323 but currently unclassified. (It definitely cuts the corner off the A323 and the A322 at any rate).

After Worplesdon, the A322 heads back down the hill to meet the B3032 (ex A321) at Fox Corner, and its original start. From here, it heads into woodland and runs straight past Brookwood Cemetery. The main road past the cemetery joins up with us immediately before we cross under the main London - Southampton railway, before meeting the A324 at a set of traffic lights. Just beyond this, the A322 crosses the Basingstoke Canal, whereupon there's a slow crawl through Bisley and the West End. There have been numerous plans to bypass this section, but these have been shelved. Consequently, the traffic along this bit can be a nightmare.

Eventually, the A322 meets up with the A319 at the Gordon Boy's roundabout, whereupon it turns into a nice fast dual carriageway bypass around Lightwater, where it meets the M3 at junction 3. For a good few years, this was where the M3 terminated.

The A322 at Bagshot

At this point, the A322 continues to be dual carriageway, as an alternative route to the M25 around Heathrow. Unfortunately, there are numerous problems with it, the first being a set of lights at the bottom of the hill at Bagshot. In 1922, the A322 made a bee-line for the A30 where it terminated. However, it was extended in the early 1930s. So, there's now a really sharp bend (for a dual carriageway) under the A30, whereby we leave Surrey for Berkshire and head up to meet the A332. Northbound traffic has a continuous lane through here; southbound isn't so fortunate and the queues for the lights can be very lengthy.

The A322 then has a good fast run through forest up to [Bracknell]], where it meets the Nine Mile Ride (now the B3430) at a roundabout. It then runs over a 'hamburger' roundabout with dual carriageway through the middle.

At the next roundabout, the NSL speed limit gives way to 40 and we're heading into Bracknell. At the next roundabout, we revert to single carriageway and plod down the most congested bit of this primary road. The traffic along here in the rush hour is mostly stationary. It finally packs it in at the bottom of the hill where it meets the gridlock that is the Twin Bridges Roundabout, giving way to the A329 (which takes up the primary route) and the A3095.

Original Author(s): Ritchie Swann

A322

Junctions

Bagshot Interchange • Wooden Bridge •

Crossings

Friary Bridge •

Related Pictures
View gallery (9)