UK Motorway Archive

[KeithW]

The Motorway Archive site - http://www.ukmotorwayarchive.org.uk/ seems to have been down for at least a few days.
It times out with this message

This site can’t be reached www.ukmotorwayarchive.org.uk took too long to respond.


Does anybody know anything about this ? It would be a shame to lose this resource.

[c2R]

It's the sort of data that we should really be seeking to transpose to the wiki, with appropriate citation, to ensure that the data is not lost.

A lot of it is available on archive.org at the moment, e.g. https://web.archive.org/web/20191225154 ... /index.cfm

[roadtester]

Haven't looked at it for ages, but always used to like reading it.

Now is probably a good time to mention that much of the information is also available in the Motorway Achievement books - for example:

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/ ... edir_esc=y

[roadtester]

It's the sort of data that we should really be seeking to transpose to the wiki, with appropriate citation, to ensure that the data is not lost.

A lot of it is available on archive.org at the moment, e.g. https://web.archive.org/web/20191225154 ... /index.cfm

Yes - I'm not sure how practical, but if the site/info has become orphaned, trying to rescue it in some form would be a really worthwhile SABRE project. If we don't do it, who else will?

[Chris5156]

It's the sort of data that we should really be seeking to transpose to the wiki, with appropriate citation, to ensure that the data is not lost.

...if the website really is dead. It's possible the hosting contract has lapsed and needs to be renewed, or something similar.

It was certainly already down on Saturday. Hopefully it'll be back soon.

[Chris Bertram]

Surely the owner is a member here?

[Bryn666]

Surely the owner is a member here?

One of the prolific writers of the Motorway Archive certainly has posted here in the past.

[Ross Spur]

The Motorway Archive Trust closed in 2015. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation set up Motorway Archive Special Interest Group (MASIG), see https://www.ciht.org.uk/news/motorway-a ... est-group/ I could not see a follow up from this page set up in 2015.

An e-mail to them to find out what is happening may look better coming from a SABRE official but if you wish me to make contact then let me know.

Since their main interest was on the development and construction of motorways, and there is plenty of detail in their books (only have a few ), I found that some of the opening dates (such as on the M1) were a bit out.

Ian

[Bryn666]

Yes, there were a few inconsistencies on dates as much of the MAT was very "dry" in terms of content - it was heavily focused on the physical construction and design of motorways and barely at all interested in the political and social side of the motorway development system.

Is the MASIG only available to CIHT members? I'm in the IHE but this sort of archiving is of interest to me.

[Truvelo]

That's a bit of a bummer. The website had a useful list of stuff available at local archives. It's how I've found many proposed junction layouts from 50 years ago. This information is still available in printed catalogues at archives but now it means I'll have to book a visit to see the catalogue and another to see the actual material. Unfortunately the archive.org caching doesn't include the pages showing this material.

[KeithW]

That's a bit of a bummer. The website had a useful list of stuff available at local archives. It's how I've found many proposed junction layouts from 50 years ago. This information is still available in printed catalogues at archives but now it means I'll have to book a visit to see the catalogue and another to see the actual material. Unfortunately the archive.org caching doesn't include the pages showing this material.

Well some of the website pages are in the internet archive at most of the data seems to be retrievable.
https://web.archive.org/web/sitemap/www ... ive.org.uk

The index of pages is at
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://uk ... ve.org.uk/*

I started to trawl through it but the backup is fragmentary but for the M25 dates I found this
https://web.archive.org/web/20190511160 ... /dates.cfm

and this for the Borrowbeck Viaduct
https://web.archive.org/web/20200216200 ... iaduct.jpg

I'll spend a little more time today to see what I can retrieve regarding local archives.

The list of URL's is at
https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.ukmot ... ve.org.uk/*

Click on Summary Button

[KeithW]

OK list of records offices in the UK is at
https://web.archive.org/web/20200518065 ... the-uk.cfm

[Chris5156]

The Motorway Archive Trust closed in 2015. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation set up Motorway Archive Special Interest Group (MASIG), see https://www.ciht.org.uk/news/motorway-a ... est-group/ I could not see a follow up from this page set up in 2015.

An e-mail to them to find out what is happening may look better coming from a SABRE official but if you wish me to make contact then let me know.

Not sure how many takers they got from this call for members, but I'd guess not enough to make it workable. One of the aims listed is "maintaining the website", something that they appear not to be doing now.

[c2R]

Having discussed with the Committee, I've made an enquiry on behalf of the society to see if I can establish what is going on.

[c2R]

I've had a response to let us know that it is planned for it to be available again soon, and that they will let us know when it is once again available.

[KeithW]

I've had a response to let us know that it is planned for it to be available again soon, and that they will let us know when it is once again available.

It appears that a new updated version is now under construction. Some pages are active but others just return to the home page or do nothing.
https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukma/motorways-by-region/

[Chris5156]

I've had a response to let us know that it is planned for it to be available again soon, and that they will let us know when it is once again available.

It appears that a new updated version is now under construction. Some pages are active but others just return to the home page or do nothing.
https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukma/motorways-by-region/

Looks good! It's a bit of a shame the big picture on the front page is very obviously a motorway that's not in the UK - looks like it may be the far east somewhere.

[Pendlemac]

I've had a response to let us know that it is planned for it to be available again soon, and that they will let us know when it is once again available.

It appears that a new updated version is now under construction. Some pages are active but others just return to the home page or do nothing.
https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukma/motorways-by-region/

Looks good! It's a bit of a shame the big picture on the front page is very obviously a motorway that's not in the UK - looks like it may be the far east somewhere.

It's an Adobe stock image. No location details shown on the website though.

https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/curve ... e/78829040

[Berk]

A much better link is this one here: 2006 version of The Motorway Archive, I say “better”, at least it’s more complete.

The CIHT seemed to upgrade its servers about four times during the lifetime of the UKMA web presence. Each iteration meant that some pieces of content (illustrations mainly) were lost.

Don’t get me wrong, the criticisms are fair. It was fairly engineering-heavy, but most of the factual details were useful. Although again, some roads were better covered than others (the A1 dualling in Yorkshire is a good example).

[Berk]

Yes, there were a few inconsistencies on dates as much of the MAT was very "dry" in terms of content - it was heavily focused on the physical construction and design of motorways and barely at all interested in the political and social side of the motorway development system.

I think it meets in the middle, really. To give an example, the M40 bridges over the River Avon near Longbridge.

One of the bridges was built by Warwickshire CC in 1967, as part of the Warwick Bypass, and was clad in Cotswold stone. The UKMA related that the bridge had its cladding removed, so it could be widened to three lanes as the southbound carriageway, and then reclad again.

Our pages contain none of this information. You’d almost be forgiven for thinking the M40 was only built in 1989 (even if it mostly was). Also bits and pieces related to it (the A4260 Kidlington bypass used to be part of the A43, was split off from it around then).