B3133

The B3133 is a semi-rural B-road that runs from Clevedon to Langford across the North Somerset Levels.

Clevedon

The road begins at M5 J20 and runs westwards off the roundabout as Ettlingen Way. This name is derived from Clevedon's twinned German town of Ettlingen - the two have been associated since 1980. A large four arm roundabout quickly follows on from the motorway junction, with northern and southern arms for the unclassified Northern Way and Central Way respectively. The briefly dual carriageway Central Way is signed as (B3133) for through traffic. The B3133 continues westwards into Clevedon as Moor Lane, a previously unclassified road that was cut in two after the M5 was built and repurposed as the approach road from the town to the motorway junction.

Moor Lane, Clevedon

Moor Lane terminates on a small roundabout at the southern end of Clevedon town centre. Here, the B3133 meets its original, largely north-south route, but all four arms of the roundabout now take the B3133 number. The roundabout's northern arm is a spur running into town along Kenn Road, while the western arm, arcing around the centre is named Great Western Road and was built with the roundabout when the motorway arrived. As the name implies, Great Western Road was partially built on top of the former GWR train line and yard. Both northern and western arms terminate on the B3130 Old Church Road. The southern arm of the roundabout, also Kenn Road, runs out of Clevedon as a residential street, crossing a small roundabout for a Tesco supermarket and then meets the other end of Central Way at another roundabout.

1966: Before realignment.

1967: After realignment.

Kenn and Yatton

Having crossed Central/Southern Way, the B3133 continues as Kenn Road, crossing the Blind Yeo River on the edge of Clevedon. After a staggered crossroads, the road climbs over the M5 and passes through the village of Kenn. The road was realigned through the village between 1966-67 to eliminate some sharp corners and kinks and the former road is still partly accessible and used by residents for access and parking.

A twisting rural section follows, then a sharp turn at Kingston Bridge adjacent to the former railway line marks the entrance to Yatton. The roundabout at the northern end of the village was enlarged to an oval shape in 2020 to accommodate a fifth arm, with the original design having only catered for three. The B3133 runs through Yatton as North End, before crossing the Bristol to Taunton railway line and changing name to High Street. Yatton is a largely linear settlement, and as the B3133 approaches the oldest parts of the village, the road gets increasingly narrow.

After crossing a mini roundabout with Claverham Road, the B3133 sweeps right onto a short realigned section from the late 1960s as it leaves Yatton, cutting out a narrow twistier section which remains accessible from Mendip Road. This section of the B3133 is known as Frost Hill and as it drops downhill towards Congresbury as Smallway, the road again passes another realigned section opposite the garden centre. This change was likely made at the same time as the construction of the A370 Congresbury Bypass, which the B3133 meets at a set of traffic lights shortly after.

Congresbury and Langford

The B3133 forms a short multiplex with the A370 at the lights, meeting the B3169 and crossing over Congresbury Bridge. At a second set of traffic lights, the B3133 leaves the A370 and heads southwards once more along Congresbury's High Street. At the edge of Congresbury, the road becomes Brinsea Road and then Stock Lane, running through the hamlets of Brinsea and Stock. The road is particularly narrow and twisty through Stock, then straightens out on the approach to Langford.

The B3133 turns right at a mini roundabout on the former A38 and assumes the final section of the old main road, terminating on the modern-day A38 Langford Bypass a short distance further on at a T-junction. The former A38 alignment is used as a slip road for northbound A38 traffic wishing to use the B3133.

Moor Lane (in yellow) and the coming of the M5.

History

The most significant changes to the B3133's route occurred during the construction of the M5 in the 1970s. Whereas previously it had run into Clevedon simply along Kenn Road, terminating on the B3130 Old Church Road in the town centre, the motorway necessitated an extension eastwards. This ran along Moor Lane which was straightened on the approach to the new roundabout for the Northern and Central Way distributor roads, themselves built along with much of the development that took place on the south side of Clevedon following the motorway's construction.

The Great Western Way link road around the town centre was also built during the rapid development of Clevedon in the 1970s, giving the B3133 it's other spur to the B3130.