Roads that should have been dual carriageway

[wrinkly]

The Temple gap has had some improvement, to a standard which must have been regarded as adequate at the time (before WWII, perhaps? Anyway, some time when it was thought unlikely that dualling would ever reach so far west.)

Carland to Chiverton is mostly a historic alignment so one wouldn't expect provision for dualling. However, it includes the Zelah bypass which is a modern alignment on which the bridges have provision for dualling. The land-take mostly doesn't, suggesting that dualling was seen as a long way off when the bypass was built.

A lot of traffic must turn off at Carland and a lot must join at Chiverton, so leaving that section until others had been done was sensible.

Interesting to see that the OS 1:50000 on Streetmap is so old it doesn't show Bodmin to IQ.

As far as I can see the overbridges and land-take between Hayle and Camborne are not designed to be compatible with future dualling. A curious feature of that section is a length of S4.

[Steven]

How many other major European cities are not linked up to the rest of the country's motorway network? It's like Milan not being properly connected to Rome, or Marseille not being linked to Paris...

Edinburgh's connected to the national motorway network - the M8 terminates on the City Bypass, after all!

[si404]

Edinburgh's connected to the national motorway network - the M8 terminates on the City Bypass, after all!

Not until the M80 is fully completed, due to the M80 and M8 gaps...

[johnyoungls]

IMHO, most single C'way improvements that I have worked on should have been dual carriageways.One was having its dual upgrade designed even before it was completed.
On the other hand some dual c'ways and even Motorways never seem to have anything in lane 2

[Trebeck]

The B921 was always empty for a D2 and was an interesting drive.

As was the B7078, the old A74.

If they ever wanted to recreate 'The Road' in a UK setting, those 2 roads in autumn/winter would be prime candidates!

[johnyoungls]

Going slightly off the pt. I love the old half of empty twisty S2s that have been improved to D2

[shimtoan]

I love the old half of empty twisty S2s that have been improved to D2

as do I

[Richardf]

The Temple gap has had some improvement, to a standard which must have been regarded as adequate at the time (before WWII, perhaps? Anyway, some time when it was thought unlikely that dualling would ever reach so far west.)

Carland to Chiverton is mostly a historic alignment so one wouldn't expect provision for dualling. However, it includes the Zelah bypass which is a modern alignment on which the bridges have provision for dualling. The land-take mostly doesn't, suggesting that dualling was seen as a long way off when the bypass was built.

A lot of traffic must turn off at Carland and a lot must join at Chiverton, so leaving that section until others had been done was sensible.

Interesting to see that the OS 1:50000 on Streetmap is so old it doesn't show Bodmin to IQ.

As far as I can see the overbridges and land-take between Hayle and Camborne are not designed to be compatible with future dualling. A curious feature of that section is a length of S4.

I recently looked at that section on Google Earth and also noted the S4 sections, which struck me as odd. Why S4 and not D2? Is the S4 original or added later?

[stu531]

The story of the A59 can be traced back to 1949 - it was part of the original proposed transpennine route from Preston to wherever. It didn't get put into the preparation pool until the early 60s, where it was opened in 1970.

The dualled section was done in the late 1990s, the overbridge partway along was designed for D2 from the start, as were the other overbridges on the bypass barring the final railway overbridge at Chatburn. The 'canyon' section with the huge overbridge was widened to S2+1 in the early 1990s.

Today that length has a serious accident problem with the numerous at grade crossroads and fast alignment. I suspect some roundabouts will eventually find their way on here as the calls for a 50 limit are for now being ignored (thankfully).

I use that road on a daily basis now between Harrogate and the Tickled Trout. The S2 stretches can be frustrating, especially when you know what their potential capacity is! The D2 stretch (despite the roundabout near McDonalds) is welcome, as are some of the S2+1 sections. The worst part of the journey by far is from Dinckley to Osbaldeston, where there is a 30 stretch with a speedcam.

Again, this comes down to lack of redundancy in the network: if the M62 is shut, the next viable route north is the A59, given that catastrophe at Colne!

[steveway]

The Temple gap has had some improvement, to a standard which must have been regarded as adequate at the time (before WWII, perhaps? Anyway, some time when it was thought unlikely that dualling would ever reach so far west.)

Carland to Chiverton is mostly a historic alignment so one wouldn't expect provision for dualling. However, it includes the Zelah bypass which is a modern alignment on which the bridges have provision for dualling. The land-take mostly doesn't, suggesting that dualling was seen as a long way off when the bypass was built.

A lot of traffic must turn off at Carland and a lot must join at Chiverton, so leaving that section until others had been done was sensible.

Interesting to see that the OS 1:50000 on Streetmap is so old it doesn't show Bodmin to IQ.

As far as I can see the overbridges and land-take between Hayle and Camborne are not designed to be compatible with future dualling. A curious feature of that section is a length of S4.

I was in Cornwall over the summer and drove the A30 between Indian Queens and Penzance a number of times - there was invariably a queue, sometimes over two miles, of eastbound traffic for Carland. Only once was there no queue. On the other hand, I did not see a problem at Temple, although I only went through once, on a Sunday afternoon (came back via the A38, had time to kill so went via Tor Point and got stuck in traffic trying to escape Plymouth, but that's another story). Having said that, Temple obviously needs fixing... even in light traffic there was obvious bunching and slowing over and above the drop from 70 to 60 for the S2.

Having said that, dualling Carland to Chiverton would seem to be more of a priority (although surely Temple would be relatively cheap and simple in comparison).

[Bryn666]

I use that road on a daily basis now between Harrogate and the Tickled Trout. The S2 stretches can be frustrating, especially when you know what their potential capacity is! The D2 stretch (despite the roundabout near McDonalds) is welcome, as are some of the S2+1 sections. The worst part of the journey by far is from Dinckley to Osbaldeston, where there is a 30 stretch with a speedcam.

Again, this comes down to lack of redundancy in the network: if the M62 is shut, the next viable route north is the A59, given that catastrophe at Colne!

That's quite a pleasant commute all in all, the A59 is one of my favourite roads up here.

Despite the fact it isn't really considered a viable transpennine route by the government (who happily detrunked the lot a good few years ago), the amount of money spent on most of it shows once upon a time it had BIG ambitions.

In order from Liverpool:
* The Northway - a 1930s dual bypassing Maghull and making a ruler straight run north from Switch Island.
* Ormskirk Bypass (lost to development and is now urban but was good at the time).
* Tarleton to Walmer Bridge - widened in the 1930s, was mostly S3 until the late 1980s (one small section remains).
* Hutton & Longton Bypass - opened in the late 1950s, bypassing some of the 1930s improvements at Walmer Bridge.
* Penwortham Bypass & Guild Way (not complete, but planned to be part of A59).
* Preston Ringway - awful 1960s monstrosity slicing the shopping district in two but helped the A59 by a factor of gazillions.
* Tickled Trout to Five Barred Gate - dualled in 1963, features dodgy right hand exit owing to old road being turned into eastbound c'way.
* Some improvements around former Samlesbury Aerodrome in the 1950s (former S3).
* Clitheroe & Whalley Bypasses (1970).
* Sawley Gradient S2+1.
* 1930s-50s widenings between Bolton Abbey and Gisburn.
* S2+1 east of Gisburn.
* Skipton Bypass (1980s) - probably the most important improvement on the whole A59!
* Beamsley Hill (late 1980s?) - this is one hell of a climb even today, one of the longest S2+1s on an A-road?

Unfortunately once past Beamsley Hill, the road's former status as a secondary A-route is apparent, with the gravity-defying cliff section at Blubberhouses, the numerous gradients around Kettlesing, and the fact there's still no decent Harrogate bypass.

Once you're east of Knaresborough, keep your eyes peeled for a 1970s era white background sign pointing to "The North, The South (A1)", not too far from Allerton Park...!

But yes, all in all, what a marvellous road. If only it had more dualled sections...

[owen b]

As far as I can see the overbridges and land-take between Hayle and Camborne are not designed to be compatible with future dualling. A curious feature of that section is a length of S4.

That was my impression too when I was down that way in June. Oddly, the whole of the eastbound section from Hayle to where the dualled stretch starts near Camborne is two lanes. Part of the Hayle bypass is S4 as well. The unimproved section from east of Penzance to Hayle sticks out like a sore thumb.

[wrinkly]

I recently looked at that section on Google Earth and also noted the S4 sections, which struck me as odd. Why S4 and not D2? Is the S4 original or added later?

As far as I know it's original - I don't think anything has been widened since that section was built in the 70s or late 60s. Maybe it's a matter of gradients - an overlap between climbing lanes in opposite directions???

[FurryBoots]

I know this thread has been quiet for a month or so but I thought I'd add this.

There were plans (I think in the 1970's) to upgrade this section of the A90 in Aberdeen to dual carriageway. When the industrial estate was developed, space was left for a second carriageway which remains to this day. I don't know the details but locals who were here at the time say that the plans involved re-routing part of the road through the then council leader's ward so his party blocked the development. I can't confirm whether this is true or not as people generally blame the council for everything. What I can say is that this road is gridlocked during rush hour and should be D2.

[the cheesecake man]

Here's one I've started noticing since joining SABRE.

The A61 is a dual carriageway from Sheffield inner ring road north through Hillsborough and Wadsley Bridge until it reaches Grenoside. It's an obvious thought that the dual carriageway might have continued. But looking more closely as you continue north, the building lines don't change when the road reverts to single carriageway, houses on the right still have a service road, houses on the left have massive front gardens ready to be CPOd for a service road, and there's a wide southbound carriageway sized grass strip on the right used only for parking talivans. Is this a sign that continuing the dual carriageway towards the M1 was not just an idea but a definite plan?

[Richardf]

An old thread, but a good one. Amazed no one has mentioned more of those bypasses that were built in the 80''s and 90''s as S2 or WS2 but should have been D2, and would have if built at a different time. Those on the A35/A31 between Ringwood and Dorchester spring to mind, as well as the Ilminster bypass and others.

[Peter350]

Most of the A roads within the Bournemouth & Poole urban area should have been dualled before development encroached them, considering how much local traffic there is now in the conurbation.

[Al__S]

Quite a few S2s would actually be OK if all their junctions were grade separated I think.

But as well as the existing D2 sections needing to be grade separated, the A505 between Royston and Abington could do with being GS D2.

[IAN]

A few D2 or even 2 + 1 sections on the A49 between Ludlow and Shrewsbury would provide some easier overtaking opportunities and make this section less tedious.

Ian (M5 Driver)

[KeithW]

The A2070 between Ashford and Brenzett is I think a good candidate as it was rebuilt in the early 1990's on a largely new alignment bypassing towns such as Hamstreet and became not only primary but trunk and seems to have been aligned in such a way as to make upgrading to D2 possble. One of the schemes in the Roads for Prosperity was as I recakk upgrading the A259 from Brenzett to Bexhill bypassing Rye, Winchelsea and Hastings. The Ashford end of the A2070 is D2 and a part of the Outer Ring Road and connects with the M20 at J10. Once the A259 upgrade was abandoned it was left as a wide S2 road which seems over specified.

What irritated me was that in the 1980s when with hundreds of other people I was working on the construction of Dungeness B power station we had only the slow winding B2070 (now unclassified and referred to as the Hamstreet road and Ashford Road). So all the workers and huge amounts of material had to use what was little more than a country lane and only when that was done did they upgrade it. You can inagine how much fun it was getting 660 MW generators and large transformers down roads like this.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.06719 ... 6656?hl=en