Catthorpe preferred route announcement

[B4133]

When the modification has been done to Catthorpe, could the A14, M6, A74(M) and M74 be the longest continuous road (Tarmacwise) in the British Isles.

[Derek]

You don't think having the M6<->A14 mainline going over on a flyover, rather than getting squeezed through a tiny roundabout, would be much of an improvement?

Actually it looks like the A14 is going under the M1, not over it. Right or wrong?

Derek

[SouthWest Philip]

When the modification has been done to Catthorpe, could the A14, M6, A74(M) and M74 be the longest continuous road (Tarmacwise) in the British Isles.

I suppose you could argue that the A14 is discontinuous as it has roundabouts on it at Brampton Hut and Huntingdon and two TOTSOs (Girton and Huntingdon)...

Of course (if and) when they're sorted that out there will be a continuous mainline from east London to Glasgow via M11, A14, M6, M6 Toll, M6, A74(M), M74.

[TheKeymeister]

Of course (if and) when they're sorted that out there will be a continuous mainline from east London to Glasgow via M11, A14, M6, M6 Toll, M6, A74(M), M74.

420 odd miles and nearly 7 hours from the start of the M11 to the end of the M74 (in current form, and according to Google Maps)...that'd be one hell of a drive

[roadtester]

How does it compare with Exeter A38, M5, M6 and A74(M)/M74?

[M5Lenzar]

How does it compare with Exeter A38, M5, M6 and A74(M)/M74?

Make that Plymouth, or even Bodmin, if we can count S2 sections.

[SouthWest Philip]

How does it compare with Exeter A38, M5, M6 and A74(M)/M74?

The point is that the M11, A14, M6 etc route would be the 'mainline' throughout. For the A30 from Bodmin, or A38 from Plymouth there are junctions that don't hold the mainline. The M5 merges into the mainline of the M6 which in turn cedes to the M6 Toll.

[nowster]

A38 Tamar Bridge, M5, M6, A74(M), M74, M73, A80, M80, M9 Dunblane. 505 miles – about 8 hours 5 mins.

[ForestChav]

How does it compare with Exeter A38, M5, M6 and A74(M)/M74?

The point is that the M11, A14, M6 etc route would be the 'mainline' throughout. For the A30 from Bodmin, or A38 from Plymouth there are junctions that don't hold the mainline. The M5 merges into the mainline of the M6 which in turn cedes to the M6 Toll.

No it wouldn't. The mainline of the A14 at Godmanchester leads into the A1M not the A14...

[roadtester]

No it wouldn't. The mainline of the A14 at Godmanchester leads into the A1M not the A14...

But not after the changes that are in the pipeline, presumably?

BTW - sorry, I meant Plymouth rather than Exeter in my previous post.

With Catthorpe sorted, the Huntingdon/Cambridge area changes and the smaller Haughley Bends/Rookery modifiactions already implemented, the A14 won't be too bad, which will take some getting used to...

[SouthWest Philip]

No it wouldn't. The mainline of the A14 at Godmanchester leads into the A1M not the A14...

Which is more-or-less what I said in my post six above your post!!

[gaz909]

Mind you, thanks to the new shiny Junction 31 of M5, there's no lane drop entering the M5 from A30 Bodmin.

This is not the case though for M5 / M6 Jn. DRAT! Foiled again!

[jackal]

You don't think having the M6<->A14 mainline going over on a flyover, rather than getting squeezed through a tiny roundabout, would be much of an improvement?

Actually it looks like the A14 is going under the M1, not over it. Right or wrong?

Derek

The drawings in the HA document (see the OP) are all accurate so far as I know.

For both the roundabout options they show the A14-M6 mainline going over the M1 and the roundabout, as I described (my quote above was just responding to the suggestion that the roundabout options wouldn't have been much of an improvement).

However, it is true, as you say, that the selected red (non-roundabout) junction option has the A14-M6 mainline going under the M1.

[Big Nick]

How does it compare with Exeter A38, M5, M6 and A74(M)/M74?

The point is that the M11, A14, M6 etc route would be the 'mainline' throughout. For the A30 from Bodmin, or A38 from Plymouth there are junctions that don't hold the mainline. The M5 merges into the mainline of the M6 which in turn cedes to the M6 Toll.

No it wouldn't. The mainline of the A14 at Godmanchester leads into the A1M not the A14...

Look at the A14 at Girton and Bar Hill. Going west and north the A14 mainline leads directly onto the A428. AFAIK that will not change with the new build.

[Derek]

The drawings in the HA document (see the OP) are all accurate so far as I know.

For both the roundabout options they show the A14-M6 mainline going over the M1 and the roundabout, as I described (my quote above was just responding to the suggestion that the roundabout options wouldn't have been much of an improvement).

However, it is true, as you say, that the selected red (non-roundabout) junction option has the A14-M6 mainline going under the M1.

I thought it was going over the M1, but I noticed they say the junction won't be any higher than the present junction and I couldn't see how that was possible if the A14 went over the top. That's when I noticed the red plan seems to go under the M1.

So quite how they get it to tie into the M6 will be interesting to see.

Derek

[jackal]

Look at the A14 at Girton and Bar Hill. Going west and north the A14 mainline leads directly onto the A428. AFAIK that will not change with the new build.

I think that will change with the remodelling of that junction. The A428 will merge/demerge on the left side of the A14E mainline, like this:



That's only one of two options, but the other is similar as regards the A428.

[Sunil_of_Yoxley]

I think, as Southwest Phillip mentioned above, that the mainline of the M74/A74(M)/M6/A14 will continue south towards London via the M11, not to Felixstowe on the old A45.

[jackal]

I think, as Southwest Phillip mentioned above, that the mainline of the M74/A74(M)/M6/A14 will continue south towards London via the M11, not to Felixstowe on the old A45.

Yes. Girton will stay the same as it presently is as regards the M11 (see drawing above), and the two breaks in the A14 West of there at the A1 and the A14 spur will be bypassed. So the M74 extension, Catthorpe improvement, and improvements in the Huntingdon area will combine to provide a continuous mainline between the A406 in NE London and the M8 in SW Glasgow.

I would love to see it all renamed as M6. It's not quite as farfetched as it might seem, given that the Huntingdon section and also the Kettering bypass are scheduled to be (re)built as D3 (so could be opened as D2ATM if they fancied it), and non-motorway traffic will have to be removed from the A14 east of Catthorpe. But it's still pretty farfetched!

[Halstead]

TBH renaming the entire M11 up to the A14 the M6 sounds laughable in my opinion. My reason being not because of the fact that the M6 may be out of zone, my verdict would go down to it's misleading identity. Motorways help us on the road because they help us get from A to B in succession and the number is a guide to help us along.

Basically if the M11 becomes the M6, it's not going to be absolutely direct at all and could arise in confusion and delay. It'll be fine if the M6 were extended to Felixstowe but never to Chigwell IMO.

[Sunil_of_Yoxley]

How about (this is admittedly in fantasy roads territory): building a D3M Thames Gateway Bridge*, extending that to the M2 (somehow!) and then take over the A249 between that and the M20, and hey presto, you get a Glasgow to Channel Tunnel motorway via London and Birmingham!

(* alternatively build missing the section of M11 between Woodford and Wanstead, and also a new Blackwall Tunnel)