The long gone M16 is now a part of the evil and dangerous M25. It is shown prominently in the LR75 atlas as a projected easterly route from the M1 between jcn 4 & 5 and meeting up with an unknown motorway (not the M11) from the north near Navestock in Essex. The combined motorway would then run south to link up with the Dartford Tunnel. The M11 is projected on this map and follows its actual course. The bit that is indicated as actually being completed (by 1975) is a stretch between the A1 south of South Mimms and the A10 slightly west of Waltham Cross. What this extra "unknown" motorway is/was is not known, but the LR75 map shows many motorways that never saw the light of day. Perhaps it was something to do with "The London Box" which was mentioned on the BBC2 programme "Traffic" just recently. If anyone has any info on this please let me know.
When I was younger and used to use old atlases to plan where I would have shoved roads if I had been in charge, I designed an M16 of my own, which was an East Coast Motorway. Starting from somewhere on the M11, this took in the Humber Bridge and part of the northern A19 and the Tyne Tunnel to then continue up to Scotland. I always believed we would have benefited from an ECM, mainly cos the east of the country has pretty poor motorway and dual carriageway access. Just look at Norfolk. So there you go. My M16, and the real M16. Now, no M16. The end.
You can look at a small picture of where the original M16 was by clicking right here.
