A3 (Jersey)

This article is about the Jersey A3.
For the British A3, see A3.
For the Northern Irish A3, see A3 (Northern Ireland).
For the Manx A3, see A3 (Isle of Man).

The A3 is the main road between St Helier and Gorey. It is, however, perhaps quieter than the longer coastal route followed by the A4, especially in summer months when tourists are exploring the island.

The route starts in St Helier, but it is currently not entirely clear from signage where. Certainly, historically the A3 started on the A1 at Weighbridge Place, but it seems that it has been cut back to the eastern side of the town centre to allow for wider pavements, pedestrianisation and one way systems to improve the town centre area. Certainly, there are no signs remaining along this section of the route to suggest it is still the A3, nor indeed a classified road at all. The road does in fact travel unsigned through the town centre along Hill Street to the Weighbridge.

Mulcaster Street

Due to one-way systems, the route is split into multiple sections and it is not possible to drive nor cycle the whole route.

We shall start at the centre of La Colomberie at its junction with Grenville Street, since this is the St. Helier Ring Road. Traffic can either travel west along the A3 through the town centre or east on the A6. Turning right here onto the A3 is not possible since this area was pedestrianised in the 90s. To the east, the road first travels along a 20mph section of the busy shopping street known as La Colomberie. The road then passes a number of landmarks: through Snow Hill, the site of the former Fort Regent cable car station; along the edge of the Royal Court (the home of the States Chamber, Jersey's parliament); and past the Town Church, the parish church for St Helier. The road becomes Mulcaster Street and runs through to the Weighbridge Place. Here the driver has the choice to turn right to head west or continue straight to access the Tunnel.

Travelling east along La Colomberie is equally confusing in modern times, with a short pedestrianised section (with very adamant "No cycling" signs) then a one-way road travelling westbound. There are at the end of this road are two marked lanes, splitting traffic north and south on to the B84. The remaineder of La Colomberie narrow road is both a shopping street and part of the St. Helier Ring Road.

Georgetown, St Helier

At the end of this very narrow section, we find the current logical start point of the A3 at the junction which sits at the entrance to Howard Davis Park, and is a complicated pattern of interconnected one-way streets, including the A6 and A15. The A3 zig-zags through onto Don Road, now one-way away from the junction, so as can be seen it is still impossible to drive the A3 end-to-end in one go! At the end of the park, the route becomes Georgetown Road, which then TOTSOs with the A17, before forking left at traffic lights.

Finally clear of the central part of St Helier, the A3 fairly quickly manages to escape the town area completely, with fields starting to appear on the left. The last part of the urban area is the large industrial estate on the right, and then the A3 is free, winding through the smaller settlements that line the road. In truth, the impression is still of a largely urban route, with odd houses, farms and small little estates forming a near continuous ribbon of development, but the open fields can be seen. The village of Grouville is soon reached, and then the route drops towards the coast and a TOTSO with the A4.

We now approach La Ville-ès-Renauds, the second village centre for Grouville, with the school and a 20mph limit. Interestingly, as of 2021, the junction here with the A4 has UK-style Give Way lines, rather than the traditional Jersey yellow line. From the junction to Gorey village, there is a final hint of the countryside with a nature reserve on the left, and the golf course in the dunes to the right. Running along the side of the road is a shared-use cycle path, part of the new 'Eastern Cycle Network', then the village green for Gorey appears, with the B70 forking off, and the large car parks opposite hint at the beauty just around the corner. The sight of Mont Orgueil Castle rising dramatically on its rocky outcrop above Gorey Harbour is one of the finest views on Jersey, and a fitting terminus for the A3. The route comes to an end at a near hairpin bend at the entrance to the harbour area, with the B30 doubling back up the hill. Ahead is a large parking and bus turning area, with the castle dominating the view high above.