Monmouth - A40

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doebag
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Monmouth - A40

Post by doebag »

For the first time in my life, I visited Monmouth last week, and was amazed how horrible the A40 was in the town.
I've had a read of past mentions on the forums, and I guess like a lot of 1960's town centre by-passes [e.g. Stamford] at the time the dual carriageway provided a welcome relief to the town centre.
However now it's just horrible.
At the time [1966?] was the current layout the best or the cheapest option ?

I appreciate the geography makes things not so easy, and traffic levels were probably a lot lower but was there any other proposals for a better/further away route ?
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wrinkly
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by wrinkly »

Given that it's a hilly area famed for its natural beauty, I'd say it's pretty much the only practicable route.

When you consider that they went through the middle of Huntingdon on a viaduct ten years later ...

Returning to Monmouth, I suppose they could have gone well to the NW but, as things were seen then, that would probably have meant making the M50 much longer, with much less online improvement of existing roads.
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rhyds
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by rhyds »

Also, don't forget that while the M50/A449/A40 route is important, its national/strategic importance would have been drastically reduced following the opening of the Severn Bridge in 1966.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by betweenmways »

No thoughts towards anything more than a bit of minor fiddling round the edges, as far as I know. News article is over 2 years old:

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/ ... -overhaul/
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Steven »

rhyds wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:16 Also, don't forget that while the M50/A449/A40 route is important, its national/strategic importance would have been drastically reduced following the opening of the Severn Bridge in 1966.
Not for anywhere north of Gloucester.
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KeithW
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by KeithW »

The big problem with the A40 in Monmouth is the flat signalised junction of the A40 and A466. I drove through there in 2019 and it was horrible.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Bomag »

Given the border is a few miles to the east there was no chance of it going north of the town. There was the option of crossing over the river coming down the hill from the border, through the industrial area and playing fields of May Hill and a GSJ with the A466 and finally another bridge across the Wye. A tad expensive given that the current junction worked fine most of the time whenever I used it in the 80s and 90's. In the last 10 years you want to avoid peak periods inc school leaving times but that is the price to pay for having a 'fun' route to drive.
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jackal
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by jackal »

Monmouth is not that big a problem to sort out. GSJ the roundabout, LILO the traffic lights and take your pick:

1. Leave it at that (Bryn in old thread)
2. Lower the A40 so A466 can cross (Truvelo)
3. New Wye bridge to the north or south as depicted by M4 Cardiff: download/file.php?id=13014&mode=view

There just isn't any political appetite to do anything about it.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Octaviadriver »

Like Bomag, I never found any problems at Monmouth until about 20 years ago, when the traffic levels increased and caused more congestion. Also, back then it was NSL, though I don't remember when the 50 mph limit was introduced.

I've been a regular user of the road through Monmouth in the past, but the last time I used it (for obvious reasons) was in November 2019, but hopefully as things slowly return to normal, I'll be passing through it again.

Maybe less traffic will use this road from east to west now that the Severn crossings are toll free?
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KeithW
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by KeithW »

jackal wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 15:47 Monmouth is not that big a problem to sort out. GSJ the roundabout, LILO the traffic lights and take your pick:

1. Leave it at that (Bryn in old thread)
2. Lower the A40 so A466 can cross (Truvelo)
3. New Wye bridge to the north or south as depicted by M4 Cardiff: download/file.php?id=13014&mode=view

There just isn't any political appetite to do anything about it.
Given that flooding is not unknown in Monmouth I dont think lowering the A40 would be a good idea,
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Beardy5632 »

The two main reasons why those lights at Monmouth queue are:
1) in both directions you can't turn right off the A40. This means that anything heading northbound wanting to cross the river has to go up to the roundabout and U turn which conflicts with traffic heading southbound over the border.
2) The southbound A40 has 2 lanes, lane one being used to turn left and go straight on which slows traffic down especially if a HGV is turning off. There was talk a couple of years ago about adding a dedicated left turn lane on that approach but (probably due to covid) this has gone quiet.

I will say though it has been lovely going that way to and from work during the lockdowns (I live in the Forest and work in Hereford) although it was backed up onto the other side of the roundabout when I came home yesterday so I probably will start avoiding it again now.

Octaviadriver wrote:Also, back then it was NSL, though I don't remember when the 50 mph limit was introduced.
From memory I think the 50 limit was put in around 2008/2009.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by mikehindsonevans »

KeithW wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 16:47
jackal wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 15:47 Monmouth is not that big a problem to sort out. GSJ the roundabout, LILO the traffic lights and take your pick:

1. Leave it at that (Bryn in old thread)
2. Lower the A40 so A466 can cross (Truvelo)
3. New Wye bridge to the north or south as depicted by M4 Cardiff: download/file.php?id=13014&mode=view

There just isn't any political appetite to do anything about it.
Given that flooding is not unknown in Monmouth I dont think lowering the A40 would be a good idea,
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by DB617 »

Granted the political appetite, my suggestion would be a total restriction of turning off the A40 at the flat signalised junction. Joining and leaving the A40 would be via the Gibraltar Tunnels junction and a fairly easily situated GSJ using a flyover of Dixton roundabout. River crossing between the separated A466 sections and A4136 would be via an improved Hadnock Road connecting to a new Wye Bridge, with the added bonus of taking traffic off the historically important bridge. Again this connects into the Dixton GSJ.

The only reasons this would be difficult are local opposition and the requirement for new structures. The industrial estate is looking mighty tired and the cost of relocating a few small businesses seems trivial compared to the cost of a flyover and river bridge. With the completion of the A465 upgrade the Monmouth bottleneck will be even more of an issue going forward.

The largest problem is the fact the political will at the SWTRA is just not there and never will be. The mood in Wales ever turns towards a massive cutback in the amount of new civils for road travel in favour of other methods; despite the total lack of local public transport, building in the Wye Valley has never seemed less likely.
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ajuk
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by ajuk »

I think it should be called a by-through? I'm sure there's a thread on those already on here? To be fair Monmouth is mostly on the one side of the bypass, but I think that was much more so when it was built.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Steven »

ajuk wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 01:11 I think it should be called a by-through? I'm sure there's a thread on those already on here? To be fair Monmouth is mostly on the one side of the bypass, but I think that was much more so when it was built.
Throughpass is the usual term, although the DfT tend to use relief road.

Bypass has a bit more on this.
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From the SABRE Wiki: Bypass :

A Bypass (historically by-pass or bye-pass) is a section of road constructed so as to avoid a town centre, or other particularly congested area. They are constructed to both reduce delays on a route, and to improve safety on the section of road that has been bypassed. They are usually constructed to a higher standard than that the major route replaced and, while often longer than the route that it replaces, are usually quicker to use.

Sometimes bypasses go around entire

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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by fras »

We came that way about a month ago from Hereford via the A466, (more like a bad B-road !!), after visiting my late brother's grave. As usual, we got fooled by the A446/A40 junction "No Right Turn", but soon got back on track and into the Forest of Dean via the rather steep and twisty A4136.

From what I saw, there ain't all that many options for sorting out the problem at Monmouth. I suppose the Swiss or the Italians would put a tunnel under May Hill to take the A40.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by Owain »

*Local knowledge pedant alert*

Putting a tunnel under May Hill would divert the A40 near Longhope, but do nothing for the stretch near Monmouth!

If you want to relieve the junction with the A466, then you're more likely to be looking to tunnel under Mayhill.

Beardy5632 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 20:15
Octaviadriver wrote:Also, back then it was NSL, though I don't remember when the 50 mph limit was introduced.
From memory I think the 50 limit was put in around 2008/2009.
I passed my driving test in Monmouth in 1994. It was NSL then, and remained so for a good few years afterwards. :driving:

I don't remember it as being a bad junction, so it must have worsened considerably from the descriptions above!

fras wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 11:54We came that way about a month ago from Hereford via the A466, (more like a bad B-road !!), after visiting my late brother's grave. As usual, we got fooled by the A446/A40 junction "No Right Turn", but soon got back on track and into the Forest of Dean via the rather steep and twisty A4136.
The A466 north of Monmouth was originally a B-road, the A466 only running from Chepstow to Monmouth when first classified. I think the A-road was extended in 1935, but almost a century later I'd agree with you that the northern half is far inferior to the southern one. The Monmouth-Chepstow stretch has to be one of the nicest drives in the UK.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by fras »

Owain wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 14:07 *Local knowledge pedant alert*

Putting a tunnel under May Hill would divert the A40 near Longhope, but do nothing for the stretch near Monmouth!

If you want to relieve the junction with the A466, then you're more likely to be looking to tunnel under Mayhill.

Beardy5632 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 20:15
Octaviadriver wrote:Also, back then it was NSL, though I don't remember when the 50 mph limit was introduced.
From memory I think the 50 limit was put in around 2008/2009.
I passed my driving test in Monmouth in 1994. It was NSL then, and remained so for a good few years afterwards. :driving:

I don't remember it as being a bad junction, so it must have worsened considerably from the descriptions above!

fras wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 11:54We came that way about a month ago from Hereford via the A466, (more like a bad B-road !!), after visiting my late brother's grave. As usual, we got fooled by the A446/A40 junction "No Right Turn", but soon got back on track and into the Forest of Dean via the rather steep and twisty A4136.
The A466 north of Monmouth was originally a B-road, the A466 only running from Chepstow to Monmouth when first classified. I think the A-road was extended in 1935, but almost a century later I'd agree with you that the northern half is far inferior to the southern one. The Monmouth-Chepstow stretch has to be one of the nicest drives in the UK.
Trouble is the OS maps that I looked at (1:50000, and 1:25000) both show May Hill as two words, with 'May' above 'Hill'. Maybe I should just have refered to "The Hill".
Very nice countryside around there BTW ! We didn't have time to linger in Monmouth.
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by ForestChav »

I'd close the junction entirely, divert the A466 onto the B4293, pop in a footbridge for the squawky toffs and have done with it...
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Re: Monmouth - A40

Post by fras »

squawky toffs
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