A35

Route

The A35 originally started immediately east of Exeter

According to the earliest recorded numbering (1922 lists) the A35 (Sidmouth Road) started at a junction with the A30 (Honiton Road) at Heavitree in the eastern suburbs of Exeter. That original route is now followed by an unclassified road which links to Junction 30 of the M5, then by the A376 over the short distance from the M5 to Clyst St Mary, and finally by the A3052 through Sidford, Colyton, and Lyme Regis to just west of Charmouth. The renumbering of this stretch (and of the A373 east of Honiton to become the new first section of the A35) took place at the opening of the Honiton Bypass in December 1966.

A trip along the A3052 through Lyme Regis today demonstrates that this was a difficult part of the original route although the remainder is of reasonably high quality. As already mentioned, the route from Honiton to Charmouth was originally a section of the A373 and this stretch was part of trunk route 37 as listed in the 1946 Trunk Roads Act. This trunk road is known as the Folkestone to Honiton Trunk Road and encompasses many other roads along the south coast including A31, M27, A27 and A259.

Honiton – Southampton

The current route of the A35 starts with a junction on the A30 Honiton Bypass to the northeast of the town. The route includes a short section of the bypassed alignment of the A30 in Honiton before climbing through a relatively urban setting towards the hills above the south of the town. This section has been the subject of studies and a bypass proposal was contained in the A303 Marsh to Honiton Improvement and A35 Honiton Eastern Bypass scheme which was given the go-ahead in January 1997. The route protection for this scheme was removed following the adoption of the proposed A358 improvements between Ilminster and the M5 in 2004 following the recommendation of the South West Area Multi-Modal Study in 2002.

The A35 continues along a relatively unimproved section through Wilmington and Kilmington in east Devon. The first improved section is reached with the single-carriageway Axminster bypass, opened in 1991. A further short unimproved section takes us through Raymonds Hill and leads to the Devon-Dorset border and a short section of dual carriageway until the start of the Charmouth bypass, where the A3052 (the old A35) from Lyme Regis joins our route. The improvement bypassed the Thistle Hill Tunnel (which is now a shooting range) and the route through the town. It was opened in July 1990.

After the Charmouth bypass the route is unimproved and leads through the villages of Morcombelake and Chideock. A scheme was promoted for a bypass of these villages and orders were published. These, however, were withdrawn in 1998. A short unimproved section, leading to the Bridport bypass, in part uses the route of the old railway to West Bay. A picnic area is accessible from the junction to Eype. The bypass was opened in 1988. The road climbs out of Bridport and towards Dorchester via some improved sections, initially with a climbing lane, and then as a couple of sections of full dual carriageway.

The A35 drops down from the hills to reach Winterbourne Abbas. Here, there were plans for a bypass but these have lapsed since the change of government in 1997. A bypass remains an aspiration for Dorset County Council although there appears to be a realisation that it is unlikely to be constructed in the foreseeable future. A large white building on the left, about a kilometre before the start of the bypass, was originally a Marconi high-frequency radio transmitting station, opened in 1927 and used for beaming messages to North and South America, Japan, and East and South Africa, amongst other places.

Dorchester bypass

At Dorchester an improved single-carriageway section, opened in September 1988, bypasses the town to the south, running from a junction ("Monkey’s Jump Roundabout") with the A37 to that with the B3150 (former A35) near Stinsford – meeting the A354 at "Stadium Roundabout" and the A352 at Max Gate (a grade-separated junction) en route.

From Stinsford the A35 continues as an unimproved single-carriageway section (with a rest area for eastbound traffic) as far as Cuckoo Lane bridge which marks the start of the dual-carriageway Yellowham Hill Improvements, opened in December 1991. This section joins into the Tolpuddle and Puddletown Bypass which opened in 1998 and was constructed by a joint venture of Balfour Beatty and Tilbury Douglas. The construction of this bypass and also the A30 Honiton to Exeter Improvements formed the capital works part of the A30/A35 DBFO and the DBFO Concessionnaire (Connect A30/A35) carries out the maintenance of the A35 from the Honiton Bypass as far as the junction with the A31 at Bere Regis. The road bypasses the villages to the north and passes through chalk countryside above Tolpuddle, home of the "Martyrs" who were punished for forming a trade union. The dual carriageway ends at the start of the Bere Regis bypass which was opened in 1982. At a roundabout the A31 starts and takes forward the trunk road towards Wimborne Minster. The A35, now only a primary route, heads south for a short stretch along the county-council-funded part of the bypass until the terminal roundabout where the A35 turns east and heads for the Poole and Bournemouth conurbation.

This next section is primary runs across Bloxworth Heath to the Bakers Arms Roundabout and then becomes a dual-carriageway section to bypass Lytchett Minster and Upton. This section was opened in 1980. The A350 is met and there is a multiplex until the next junction where the A35 has to turn off, with the A350 continuing into the centre of Poole with a link to the A3049 Dorset Way. The two roads run parallel for a short distance (with the A35 mostly single carriageway) before separating. After passing over the A349 Broadstone Way the Fleet's Bridge roundabout is met from where there is access to the eastbound A3049 - but no access back to the A350 which explains the detour. On the far side of the roundabout the A35 heads towards Parkstone, Branksome and Bournemouth. On reaching the Wessex Way (opened 1973) the A35 disappears to run along a useless multiplex with the A338. At St Pauls Roundabout in Bournemouth (next to a large Asda supermarket), the A35 reappears and turns southwards. From this point it becomes a non-primary road.

A35 historic route from 1922/3 numbering

This non-primary section runs broadly parallel to the A338 and crosses the river Stour after which the Christchurch Bypass is reached which was opened in 1958. An unimproved single carriageway section runs from the east end of the Christchurch bypass across the New Forest to Lyndhurst. After a junction with the A337 and a one-way system in Lyndhurst, the A35 approaches the west of Southampton and becomes dual carriageway as the Totton Bypass. There is a freeflow junction with the A36 and the A35 crosses the River Test on the Redbridge Causeway. The road is grade separated at the M271 junction (Redbridge Flyover) where the road number becomes the A33 for no apparent reason, possibly because the road becomes primary here. At the next junction (Millbrook Flyover) the A35 (still non-primary) turns off north towards Shirley and Southampton Common. This dual carriageway section known as Tebourba Way was opened in 1953 and bypassed a section of the original 1946 trunk road from Millbrook to Shirley that at the time was numbered A3067. On the edge of Southampton Common, the A35 splits into two at a Hollybrook Roundabout. One branch continues ahead, following the original alignment, to meet the A33 (the former route of the London to Southampton Trunk Road) at the Memorial Roundabout. The other, longer branch bears right to cross the A33 at Bassett Crossroads and then continue along Burgess Road and Stoneham Lane to a terminus on the A27 in Swaythling.

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
1930	Sidford Trow Hill Bypass	The 0.75 mile road, east of Sidford, was opened on 6 February 1930 by Mrs J.G. Cornish of Salcombe House. It had an easier gradient of 1 in 15 compared to the 1 in 5 and a double bend on the old road. Width was 35 feet and cost £8,815. Later renumbered A3052. The old road had been used for test trials on new cars.
1930	Redbridge Causeway and Bypass	The 0.8 mile road was opened on 20 October 1930. The new road was prompted by the Southern Railway Company wanting to close the level crossing by the old Red Bridge, and that bridge also requiring repairs. The Council put forward their scheme and entered into an agreement with the railway company, with the latter's contribution being £25,000. The tender signed in 1926 was £75,733. The railway company had to put a Bill through Parliament and obtain Royal assent. The Bill was for a new roadway from the Station Hotel, Totton to a point near the Redbridge Schools, which will supercede the existing causeway. Carriageway width was 28 feet with 1 in 28 gradients. The reinforced concrete bridge over the River Test and railway consisted of a 60 foot centre arch and two 40 foot side arches with 237 piles into the soft ground. Opened as A36.
1940	Totton Bypass	0.6 mile from Rushington Avenue to the east end of High Street. One carriageway was reported as open in the Hampshire Advertiser of 3 February 1940 and the north carriageway was opened by Easter 1940. It included a cyclepath on the south side.
1953	Southampton: Tebourba Way	The one mile road from from Millbrook to Old Shirley was opened on 30 April 1953 by Alderman E. Burrow, Mayor of Southampton. It provided the link with Winchester Road for a west-north bypass of the town. Named after the Battle in late 1942 in North Africa of which the 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment played a decisive part.
1958	Christchurch Bypass	1.9 mile dual carriageway from Fountain Roundabout to Somerford Roundabout. The northern carriageway was opened on 17 July 1958, prior to the holiday season, by the Duke of Wellington. The southern carriageway opened later. 24 foot carriageways of flexible construction, kerbed only at junctions and over bridges. 11 foot verges. It included 3 pre-stressed concrete bridges over the Rivers Avon and Mude and the Mill Stream, each 72 foot wide to allow passage of abnormal loading. The western mile required imported fill to replace the poor load bearing material on the flood plain. Contractor was A.E. Farr Ltd., cost £450,000.
1961	Clyst St. Mary Bypass	The 0.4 mile road had opened by August 1961. Costing £140,000, it included the crossing of the River Clyst valley. The A35 eastern section was later renumbered as A3052. A short section on the A377 Exmouth road was also built, later renumbered A376.
1988	Bridport Link Road	The road from Miles Cross to Crown Roundabout was opened on 19 July 1988 by Peter Bottomley, Minister for Roads and Traffic. Sea Road South was upgraded for the eastern side of the bypass.
1988	Dorchester Bypass	The 3.9 mile S2 road was to be opened on 17 October 1988. The Western Daily Press report on the same day mentioned that there would be no formal ceremony until December, by which stage the western extension (assumed A37 section) should have been completed. The Contractor was Mowlem, outturn works cost £9.2 million.
1990	Charmouth Bypass	The 3 mile single carriageway road was opened on 19 July 1990. Contractor was A. E. Farr Ltd., contract price £10,725,435.
1991	Axminster Bypass	Completed in November 1991 per Hansard. Tender cost £8 million, outturn cost £10.9 million.
1991	Yellowham Hill - Troy Town	Completed in December 1991 per Hansard. Tender cost £4.3 million. Yellowham Hill probably refers to the current Cuckoo Lane junction area. Dual carriageway.
1999	Puddletown and Tolpuddle Bypass	The 6 mile dual carriageway was opened on 16 April 1999 per a BBC South Today report. Cost £25 million. It was the first privately financed bypass in the south. Connect had the contract for 30 years.

Links

legislation.gov.uk

• The Folkestone—Honiton Trunk Road A35 (Axminster Bypass and Slip Road) Order 1987 - Axminster bypass Line Order

• The Folkestone—Honiton Trunk Road A35 (Axminster Bypass and Slip Road) (Detrunking) Order 1987 - Axminster bypass Detrunking SI

• The Folkestone—Honiton Trunk Road A35 (Axminster Bypass and Slip Road) Order 1987 - Chideock Morcombelake Bypass Line Order

• The Folkestone—Honiton Trunk Road A35 (Axminster Bypass and Slip Road) Order 1987 - Chideock Morcombelake Bypass Revocation Order

• The A35 Trunk Road (Yellowham Hill, Troy Town Improvement) Order 1989 - Line and detrunking Order

• The A35 Trunk Road (Tolpuddle to Puddletown Bypass and Slip Roads) Order 1993 - Line Order

• The A35 Trunk Road (Tolpuddle to Puddletown Bypass) (Detrunking) Order 1993 - Line Order

Older orders

A35 Charmouth Bypass Line order SI 1986/1106 Detrunking SI 1986/1107

A35 Bridport Bypass Line order SI 1987 No Detrunking SI 1987 No

A35 Dorchester Bypass Line order SI 1986/675 Detrunking SI 1986/676

A31/A35 Bere Regis Bypass Line order SI 1979/556

Videos

Charmouth tunnel for the last time

Charmouth tunnel in Dorset in the last few weeks before the tunnel closed

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