Railways that have become roads near you

[Ritchie333]

Yes, the Holt bypass (A148) is on the old railway alignment - clearly visible on Google maps complete with the NNR station at the eastern end.

...and here it is on SABRE Maps, with the modern route over the top of 1950s OS coverage, showing the original railways

[johnyoungls]

Too many to mention in the South Wales Valleys. It has been common practice for improvement schemes since 1980 to use redundant public or colliery railway routes. Before that they followed redundant waterways. A tricky one for the conservationists.

Perhaps as they are now being listed on the Wiki, I should enter into the spirit and mention some near me as I use them. Someone stop me if it gets too hideous -

Today: A4067 Pontardawe Bypass

[Jon]

It's only for a couple of miles.
Most of the A650 Drighlington bypass near Bradford uses an ex-railway line.

[carawaystick]

Never happened all that much this side of the border, so going for the entire country:

N21 Rathkeale bypass. This alignment has been "leant" to the NRA by Irish Rail and is meant to be handed back when they eventually build the DC past here.

N27 South City Link Road. This one even still feels like a railway line, extremely closed in:

http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Cork&ie=UT ... 91.24,,0,0

The main road through some housing estates in Fermoy is on the rail alignment, feels a bit like the council were trying to "protect" it; although I can't see how it could be re-used. You can just about make out the alignment either side: http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=fermoy&ie= ... 6&t=h&z=16

there's also a stretch of the N30 near New Ross,
The road used to go through the long underbridges/tunnels under the present route, a road still does.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=52.41 ... 5&layers=M

[nirs]

Never happened all that much this side of the border

Indeed, the Irish made much more sensible decisions in this regard than their Northern counterparts in the 60s. Imagine if the Phoenix Park tunnel had been turned into a road!

[Beardy5632]

Gloucester Eastgate is roughly on the same line as Metz Way, the station itself though is what is now ASDA!!

[WHBM]

Not a road, but a doubtlessly heavily used track for the next few days (including prpbably some here) the old Somerset & Dorset Railway line from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge ran right through the middle of the site of the Glastonbury Festival, and its alignment forms the main east-west path through the site.

[wrinkly]

I've just noticed that a 5-mile stretch of the A1(M) Darlington bypass northwards from Barton junction (J56) uses the alignment of a former railway, which was apparently a branch built to serve a quarry at Barton.

I discovered this by accident while using SABRE maps to try to understand something I've often wondered while driving - why there's a retaining wall in a rural area overlooking the east side of the A1(M) north of the bridge under the A67. It appears there were once glasshouses adjacent to the wall.

[Raggit_Rich]

A22 Beeching Way. Used to be a section of the East Grinstead-Tunbridge Wells line. Railway was removed in 1967 and the one way system built over the widened, filled in cutting.

[Helvellyn]

A22 Beeching Way. Used to be a section of the East Grinstead-Tunbridge Wells line. Railway was removed in 1967 and the one way system built over the widened, filled in cutting.

Beeching Way? Ouch, that's rubbing it in!

[Bryn666]

The A56 at Haslingden has been mentioned historically as a railway to road, but it isn't quite true. Some of the railway infrastructure is still adjacent to the road.

https://goo.gl/maps/VcMe7BaquY82

It would be extremely difficult to reinstate the line here though.

[montyburns56]

I was just looking at the railway trackbed of the ECML that was relocated due to the Selby Diversion and I noticed that they built the A19 on a significant portion of it. I'm a bit of a railway geek and these roads often make it difficult if not impossible for the railway to be rebuilt in the future, but it does seem to be quite a common occurrence. Having said that the only one I can think of off the top of my head is the A518 near Donnington/Telford, but I'm sure that there are plenty more of them....

[Herned]

There are loads: discussed in this thread

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27497&hilit=roads+on+railways

[Steven]

Try this list held here on SABRE for starters.

[wrinkly]

One which seems to be only briefly mentioned in the thread linked by Herned (and not listed at Steven's link) is the A55 west of Colwyn Bay station. Over a length of about 3km the railway was diverted northward to enable the A55 to be built with part of its width on the former site of the railway. Several new bridges were required for both road and railway.

[montyburns56]

Sorry guys I didn't realise there was an existing thread.

[montyburns56]

One which seems to be only briefly mentioned in the thread linked by Herned (and not listed at Steven's link) is the A55 west of Colwyn Bay station. Over a length of about 3km the railway was diverted northward to enable the A55 to be built with part of its width on the former site of the railway. Several new bridges were required for both road and railway.

Yeah, I wasn't aware of that. According to Wiki they were able to do it as the railway was four track for that section, but they closed two of the lines and just used the two upper lines.

[Berk]

The A16 Spalding-Boston converted around 1992. It’s very clearly a railway layout.

[Mikeya]

The A660 Otley bypass is built on part of the alignment of Beeching closed Menston - Otley - Arthington line.

[Simon_GNR]

One not far from here is the entrance road for Southwell racecourse which uses part of the track bed between Southwell and Rolleston Junction on the old Midland Railway line from Mansfield to Newark. I don't think it's a public road but it is a road.