Railways that have become roads near you

[Ben302]

the A226 Thames Way from Vale Road to the retail park is built on the line of the old Gravesend branch line even utilising one of the old tunnels that passes under the Overcliffe

[novaecosse]

A92 Basin View, Montrose is built on the former alignment of the Montrose and Bervie Railway.

[orudge]

It's not actually near me, but as my Mum used to live in Llanidloes, I tended to drive along the A470 Llanidloes bypass quite a bit, which is of course built on the former railway - a handy straight bit for overtaking!

[michael769]

The A71 Stonehouse Bypass.

[Glenn A]

The roundabout where the A695 meets the A1 in Scotswood is built over the old railway line from Newcastle to Blaydon. Also a DEFRA office and some industrial units with access roads have been built over the line nearer the city centre.

[Burns]

How about we throw a slightly different spin on the situation?

I believe this section of the A907 heading into Alloa was built over the old railway alignment. However, the railway was reinstated and has claimed the route back again, pushing the 907 marginally further south.

[PeterA5145]

Part of the A523 Silk Road throughpass in Macclesfield runs along the course of the former Great Central/North Stafford joint line to Marple Rose Hill via Bollington. Most of the line is now the Middlewood Way foot/cycle path.

The A557 Watkinson Way in Widnes runs along the course of the St Helens Railway, which was one of the earliest railways in England, opening in 1833.

[Big Nick]

Not many of these in Essex.

Cold Norton station and part of the line has been buried by Green Trees Avenue.
The A414 Maldon bypass from the London Road overbridge to the B1018 roundabout is on the former alignment. Part of the B1018 is also the old track to the ex Maldon East and Heybridge station.
When the line gets to Witham part of it is now an access road to an industrial estate.

Great Dunmow. The B1256 (former-A120 bypass) followed the railway through the station site.

Brightlingsea. Promenade Way is on the old railway track.

[tommym8]

Parts of the A814 Clydeside Expressway and the new section of the Glasgow East End Regeneration between Dalmarnock Road and Gallowgate currently being built.

Does the Expressway actually follow the course of the old line into Partick Central? I thought it only crossed its path and requires the infilling of a tunnel.

From where it bisects Castlebank St to Meadow Road is the old railway line.

[Vierwielen]

A22 Beeching Way, East Grinstead, actually named after the butcher of the railways!

I believe that the original proposal was to name it "Beeching Cut".

[Mettie]

Two near me.

A16 between Spalding and Boston follows the former Great Northern Line which closed in 1971

A17 between Kings Lynn and Sutton Bridge follows the Midland & Great Northern Joint railway. The Westbound (Lincolnshire bound) carriageway of Cross Keys Bridge at Sutton bridge being the railway line, and Eastbound (Norfolk bound)being the road. The line closed fully on 2 April 1965, a victim of the increase in road haulage.

[DunsBus]

The A6091 between Tweedbank and the Ravenswood roundabout on the A68.

Also, a short stretch of the A703 in Peebles, to take pressure off Northgate which then became one-way northbound to allow buses serving the Eastgate bus stop to exit the town centre.

[mittfh]

Part of the A4390 Severn Meadows Road in Stratford-Upon-Avon: http://goo.gl/maps/aTNQ

Actually, it looks as though both the N-S and W-E sections may be on railway alignments - so one short road that follows two different trackbeds!

There's also a section of the A44 at New Radnor (Old Station Caravan Park is a helpful reminder!)

Parts of the A470 / A483 just outside Builth Wells are also on old lines.

Then elsewhere, the A483 Welshpool bypass is interesting - the bypass was built on the railway alignment, and the railway moved a few yards East, together with a new station building (that typically wasn't a patch on the original, which is now shops).

-oOo-

I'm sure I remember finding a website somewhere detailing rail to road conversions...

[Hagbard]

How about we throw a slightly different spin on the situation?

I believe this section of the A907 heading into Alloa was built over the old railway alignment. However, the railway was reinstated and has claimed the route back again, pushing the 907 marginally further south.

No, the road was never built over the railway - the disused, overgrown tracks were still there until the rebuilding project started. The A907 had to move slightly to allow for the roundabout with the new B909. If you zoom out of streetview on the link you posted the aerial photo dates from before the railway was re-opened.

The A6091 between Tweedbank and the Ravenswood roundabout on the A68.

Only two very short stretches of the A6091 are actually on the railway alignment - in the view from your link about 100 metres of the A6091 are on the horizontal alignment of the waverley line before the latter curves away to the north, where Dean Road in Newstead is built on the actual track bed. There is another shorter stretch of the A6091 further east,but the railway line was in a much deeper cutting.

[Hagbard]

A68 between Earlston and Leaderfoot. Compare this 1961 photo from Railscot with GSV from approximately the same location. The old alignment of the A68 shown in the railscot photo still exists through the trees on the left of the GSV image. It is still used as a farm access road and still has traces of double white lines and catseye sockets.

[B4591]

Two in my area:

A472 Pontypool - Crumlin / Hafodrynys Road Runs past an old mine washhouse, quite a well known landmark in the area. Happy Garden Fish Bar in Hafodrynys sells the best chips in South Wales. Used to come out onto the world-famous Crumlin Viaduct. - I could be wrong but the A467 underneath Crumlin Viaduct could, judging from pictures, also be built on an old railway alignment.

In Blackwood, the new alignment of the A4048 follows directly the line of the old railway bed which served Blackwood High Level station... used to walk the discarded sleepers and chippings a lot as a child. This road also makes use of the old Oakdale Colliery site.

[B1040]

A141 Chatteris -March road follows an old railway.

The St Ives Cambridge line has had some concrete put on it and traffic lights on the roads that cross at former level crossings. There are rumours that buses will run along it, but no-one round here believes them any more, not when the A14 offers a lovely dual carriageway route for the buses, as well as the cars and lorries.

[nowster]

The tunnel under Caernarfon?

[JohnM23]

crystal palace high level station is now a residential area and its branch line to upper sydenham is a path through woodland.

Addiscombe station is now a block of flats and the line has been converted to a public park... A very thin park

Part of the M25 in Kent is built on an old line... westerham to sevenoaks

[johnyoungls]

[quote="B4591"]Two in my area:

I could be wrong but the A467 underneath Crumlin Viaduct could, judging from pictures, also be built on an old railway alignment.


I think that South of Crumlin (to Newbridge) was the canal route.
Crumlin to Llanhilleth was through the colliery. Not sure if exactly on the line of the railway as it was already gone. So was the viaduct.