A55 Conwy Tunnel avoidance/escape route?

[tractakid]

Hello folks.

I was recently chatting to the organiser of Conwy parkrun (parkrun.org.uk/conwy) who was describing how part of the run route near the causeway may potentially have to be used in relation to the A55 in the case of a tunnel closure.

From looking at the map, I see there is a looped overpass over the east tunnel opening, and a ramp leading off the A55, which follows round to the causeway, where there is a metal gate onto the A547.

The ramp off the A55 looks like it faces the wrong direction for the main bulk of westbound traffic to exit- it looks far more likely to me that the traffic would all loop over the tunnel entrance and then back towards Llandudno Junction.

Is the gate from the A547 causeway and ramp towards the tunnel designed to be used by emergency or maintenence vehicles or similar?

What's the plan for eastbound traffic should the tunnel close? I don't see a loop over the west tunnel entrance for traffic to change direction.

Does anyone have any insight into what the infrastructure and plans are designed to do?

Gate- https://goo.gl/maps/6D3gw8a1aefrzvy96
Ramp- https://goo.gl/maps/bP1Dr95tREb7RPHXA

[c2R]

The infrastructure there looks designed to get queued traffic off and emergency vehicles in from the eastern side. I don't think it's designed to simply act as a diversion route in the event of closure...

[danfw194]

I may have missed the point as I'm talking from a diversion perspective here not an escape perspective, but if the tunnel were ever to close, eastbound traffic would be forced off at J17, and be taken back on the A55 westbound at the same junction. This sign at J17 indicates that traffic that was intending to use the A470 to Betws-y-Coed would have to use the A5 from Bangor instead: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2885489 ... 384!8i8192

Of course, if you're a car, you'd be better served ignoring that sign, and to head through Conwy on the A547 to hook up with the A470 or B5106 on the other side of the tunnel. HGV's wouldn't be able to do the same though, no chance of snaking through the town walls.

[nowster]

Before the tunnel Conwy was hell with the HGVs trying to thread the needle of the town's walls.

[WHBM]

Before the tunnel, Conway was disorganised for all vehicle types ! Yes, HGVs from Ireland for the North of England were mixed in with everything else, and getting through the arches in the walls. Congestion (always seemed worse eastbound) could stretch right back along the old cliff main road to Penmaenmawr.

On summer weekends it could be significantly quicker from Queensferry to Menai Bridge to route via Ruthin and Betws-y-Coed.

[paully]

I can't add a meaningful comment about the tunnel, but as an avid parkrunner it's good to see it getting a mention!

[avtur]

Before the tunnel, Conway was disorganised for all vehicle types ! Yes, HGVs from Ireland for the North of England were mixed in with everything else, and getting through the arches in the walls. Congestion (always seemed worse eastbound) could stretch right back along the old cliff main road to Penmaenmawr.

On summer weekends it could be significantly quicker from Queensferry to Menai Bridge to route via Ruthin and Betws-y-Coed.

As a very regular traveller from south Manchester to Abersoch from the mid 70's onwards I would say that the 'cross country' route was always preferable. I certainly travelled via Conway (and the narrow arches) towing a particularly wide boat on numerous occasions but the cross country route was always more fun.

[nowster]

As a very regular traveller from south Manchester to Abersoch from the mid 70's onwards I would say that the 'cross country' route was always preferable. I certainly travelled via Conway (and the narrow arches) towing a particularly wide boat on numerous occasions but the cross country route was always more fun.

North Manchester to Nefyn or Morfa Nefyn in my family's case. The AA provided route was via Bala and Porthmadog (two tolls, IIRC). One year, we stayed over in Betws-y-coed one night each way en route to Benllech on Anglesey.

[owen b]

Before the tunnel, Conway was disorganised for all vehicle types ! Yes, HGVs from Ireland for the North of England were mixed in with everything else, and getting through the arches in the walls. Congestion (always seemed worse eastbound) could stretch right back along the old cliff main road to Penmaenmawr.

On summer weekends it could be significantly quicker from Queensferry to Menai Bridge to route via Ruthin and Betws-y-Coed.

As a very regular traveller from south Manchester to Abersoch from the mid 70's onwards I would say that the 'cross country' route was always preferable. I certainly travelled via Conway (and the narrow arches) towing a particularly wide boat on numerous occasions but the cross country route was always more fun.

Likewise, in my childhood living in Durham with grandparents on the south side of the Lleyn it would always be Leeds / M62 /
M6 / M56 / Mold / Ruthin / Bala / Trawsfynydd (or occasionally Ffestiniog) / Porthmadog. I only recall trying the A5104 option once and surprisingly we never tried cutting across from Ruthin via the B5105 / A5 / B4407. The A55 wasn't a realistic alternative until well into the 1990s by which time I'd long since left Durham.

[AndyB]

And travelling from the West Midlands there is always the M54 and the A5, which I took one spring day in 2011. I even had time to go round the north side of Anglesey on my way to Holyhead.

[Jeni]

And travelling from the West Midlands there is always the M54 and the A5, which I took one spring day in 2011. I even had time to go round the north side of Anglesey on my way to Holyhead.

From the WM the A5 and M6/A55 routes take roughly the same amount of time so it's down to personal preference.

[nowster]

And travelling from the West Midlands there is always the M54 and the A5, which I took one spring day in 2011. I even had time to go round the north side of Anglesey on my way to Holyhead.

From the WM the A5 and M6/A55 routes take roughly the same amount of time so it's down to personal preference.

And it's worse on the A5 if you get stuck behind a slow moving caravan on the bends between Llangollen and Corwen.

[Jeni]

And travelling from the West Midlands there is always the M54 and the A5, which I took one spring day in 2011. I even had time to go round the north side of Anglesey on my way to Holyhead.

From the WM the A5 and M6/A55 routes take roughly the same amount of time so it's down to personal preference.

And it's worse on the A5 if you get stuck behind a slow moving caravan on the bends between Llangollen and Corwen.

I always found ample opportunities to overtake myself when I did the journey regularly - the A5 being my personal preference naturally!

[Bryn666]

Several overtaking spots but you have to be prepped to take the opportunity - and definitely not through Pentrefoelas where it's actually banned.

[Jeni]

Several overtaking spots but you have to be prepped to take the opportunity - and definitely not through Pentrefoelas where it's actually banned.

Yeah. Knowing where the next opportunity is in advance is a big help

[WHBM]

I always found ample opportunities to overtake myself when I did the journey regularly - the A5 being my personal preference naturally!

You can thank my Great Great (+ a few more) Grandfather for those straights on Corwen to Betws-y-Coed. He was Thomas Telford's Clerk of Works and principal assistant on the project 200 years ago to improve the London-Holyhead road. Those straights are sometimes mistakenly referred to, even by locals, as "Roman Road", but they're not. He gets a mention in Rolt's biography on Telford.

Given that it was being improved for stagecoaches, packhorses, and marching troops, from London to Dublin, always seemed strange that the horizontal alignment improvements were notably straight, but the vertical alignment is a real switchback.

Apparently there were some drawings of elements of the Menai suspension bridge still in the family in the 1930s, my mother could remember being shown them as a child, but they have since been lost in the mists of time

[Bryn666]

The relative lack of steep gradients in such challenging terrain is a definite big tick on the engineers of the day.

I think the maximum on the Telford era bits is 1 in 22?

[KeithW]

The relative lack of steep gradients in such challenging terrain is a definite big tick on the engineers of the day.

I think the maximum on the Telford era bits is 1 in 22?

1 in 17 I believe or approx 6%. Gradients were a major issue when you only had the power of 4 horses to haul the stagecoach its passengers and most importantly the mail and since reducing journey times was a major reason for the government picking up the tab it became a big issue.

[rhyds]

What's even better is that the Telford era road is still in remarkable condition even where its been bypassed for years, while the new Ty Nant bends section suffered a serious rockfall about 10 years ago

[Hdeng16]

What's even better is that the Telford era road is still in remarkable condition even where its been bypassed for years, while the new Ty Nant bends section suffered a serious rockfall about 10 years ago

Call me sad but I'm still grateful I was able to get over and use the old road which was reopened during rockfall works. Amazingly good condition under temporary lights. Loved it.

Can't think of many examples of that length of road being reopened!