Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

There is a separate forum for Street Furniture (traffic lights, street lights, road signs etc).

Registered users get access to other forums including discussions about other forms of transport, driving, fantasy roads and wishlists, and roads quizzes.

Moderator: Site Management Team

Post Reply
User avatar
Bfivethousand
Member
Posts: 1387
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 22:16
Location: Derbyshire

Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Bfivethousand »

I've part-mentioned this in Botched Roadsigns, however I think it warrants its own thread...

Approaching Caernarfon from Porthmadog on the A487, you will pass through a very narrow (5 metre-ish?) stretch of S2 with terraced housing almost at the roadside with no footway.

Proceed around 400 metres up the road and you're passing over the top of a good quality grade separated junction on the town's relief road.

There can't be too many better examples of a stretch of road changing in quality so quickly...?
16 Sodium atoms walk into a bar
followed immediately by Batman
Herned
Member
Posts: 1363
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2017 09:15

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Herned »

M23>A23 at Hooley. Three lane motorway to single lane suburban road
User avatar
vlad
Member
Posts: 2586
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 16:20
Location: Near the northern end of the A34

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by vlad »

The A53?

West of the A500 it's in a narrow cutting, partly lined with houses. East of the A500 it's dual and grade-separated (albeit not for long). Queues are likely on both bits, however!
"If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed." - Sylvia Plath
User avatar
Bryn666
Elected Committee Member
Posts: 35755
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2002 20:54
Contact:

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Bryn666 »

Bfivethousand wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 16:07 I've part-mentioned this in Botched Roadsigns, however I think it warrants its own thread...

Approaching Caernarfon from Porthmadog on the A487, you will pass through a very narrow (5 metre-ish?) stretch of S2 with terraced housing almost at the roadside with no footway.

Proceed around 400 metres up the road and you're passing over the top of a good quality grade separated junction on the town's relief road.

There can't be too many better examples of a stretch of road changing in quality so quickly...?
Not quite as pronounced but any improved section of the A5 in North Wales - e.g. Ty Nant and the bridge at Druid - is noticably different to Telford's road either side.
Bryn
Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already.
She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.

Blog - https://showmeasign.online/
X - https://twitter.com/ShowMeASignBryn
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BrynBuck
User avatar
KeithW
Member
Posts: 19205
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2014 13:25
Location: Marton-In-Cleveland North Yorks

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by KeithW »

A66 heading East at the end of the Temple Sowerby bypass where you go from this
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.63266 ... 6656?hl=en

To this in Kirkby Thore
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.62218 ... 6656?hl=en
User avatar
Chris5156
Deputy Treasurer
Posts: 16908
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2001 21:50
Location: Hampshire
Contact:

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Chris5156 »

The A214 Trinity Road at Wandsworth Common. S2 with houses on both sides opens out in a single jump to D3 with parkland on both sides.

Equally, the A236 approaching Croydon from the north west - congested S2 with frequent traffic lights opens up to D2 elevated viaduct. 20 years or so ago, it opened up to D3 elevated viaduct with GSJs, but a lot has changed since then.
User avatar
owen b
Member
Posts: 9861
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2003 15:22
Location: Luton

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by owen b »

There are numerous examples in Scotland of improved S2 roads abruptly transitioning to uminproved S1 eg. : https://www.google.com/maps/@58.4956946 ... 312!8i6656
Owen
Fluid Dynamics
Member
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2002 19:54

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Fluid Dynamics »

On a similar vein to Chris’ comment, A3 north of Tibbetts corner, Wandsworth.
User avatar
ravenbluemoon
Committee Member
Posts: 3042
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:32
Location: Between Mansfield and Göteborg

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by ravenbluemoon »

The section of A1 just north of A1(M) J17 always feels like a serious change - from driving down a runway, to a substandard 60s D2 with dodgy horizontal and vertical alignments, side roads, property accesses etc. Very noticeable how you suddenly have to concentrate more - particularly at night.

The Darrington - Redhouse section can be mentioned also, but at least there's streetlighting.
Tony Alice (they,them)
~~~~~
Owner of a classic rust heap/money pit, and other unremarkable older vehicles.
Usually found with a head in an old map or road atlas.

Did you know there's more to SABRE than just the Forums?
Add your roads knowledge to the SABRE Wiki today!
Have you browsed SABRE Maps recently? Ask me if you want to get involved!

User avatar
IAN
Member
Posts: 1494
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2001 19:07

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by IAN »

owen b wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:34 There are numerous examples in Scotland of improved S2 roads abruptly transitioning to uminproved S1 eg. : https://www.google.com/maps/@58.4956946 ... 312!8i6656
This one is also rather drastic, especially after being on good quality improved S2 since Bonar Bridge you're then faced with 40 miles of S1 to reach the north coast.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@58.05542 ... 312!8i6656
AKA M5 Driver
SteelCamel
Member
Posts: 600
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 15:46

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by SteelCamel »

IAN wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 21:40
owen b wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:34 There are numerous examples in Scotland of improved S2 roads abruptly transitioning to uminproved S1 eg. : https://www.google.com/maps/@58.4956946 ... 312!8i6656
This one is also rather drastic, especially after being on good quality improved S2 since Bonar Bridge you're then faced with 40 miles of S1 to reach the north coast.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@58.05542 ... 312!8i6656
That one has changed - it's now S2 going north from the junction, though I don't know how far it goes as I was heading west last time I was there.
User avatar
SBRoxMan
Member
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2021 15:20

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by SBRoxMan »

M53 at Hooton? It goes from a fast three lane motorway to a 2-lane urban road as it becomes the former M531
Last edited by SBRoxMan on Mon Jun 07, 2021 12:05, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Peter350
Member
Posts: 803
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 20:20
Location: Southampton

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Peter350 »

M4 eastbound at Boston Manor? Goes from your typical D3M with hard shoulders to an elevated D2 urban motorway. While probably not the most pronounced change of all, once you go under the Piccadilly line the appearance of the road changes a lot.
User avatar
solocle
Member
Posts: 806
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 18:27

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by solocle »

This has to be a contender...
B9F2C47C-7706-4658-924A-5D5BA48C8990.jpeg
User avatar
Big L
Deputy Site Manager
Posts: 7517
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 20:36
Location: B5012

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Big L »

North circular to either side of the Hanger Lane gyratory. If you're going Southbound you go from 3 lane grade separated dual carriageway via an 8 lane wide gyratory to a 4 lane wide single carriageway in fairly short order.
Make poetry history.

Did you know there's more to SABRE than just the Forums?
Help with maps using the new online calibrator.
Add your roads knowledge to the SABRE Wiki.
User avatar
the cheesecake man
Member
Posts: 2462
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 13:21
Location: Sheffield

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by the cheesecake man »

I'm surprised the M67 hasn't been mentioned yet. Three lane motorway straight to unimproved original S2 through Mottram, with the A57 and dual carriageway A560 joining in for extra congestion.

Before The Great Resurfacing any road from Sheffield into Derbyshire would have counted due to the immediate improvement in road surface.
User avatar
Bryn666
Elected Committee Member
Posts: 35755
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2002 20:54
Contact:

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by Bryn666 »

A494 at Drome Corner. D4M configuration to 1960s D2. It's more pronounced than Peterborough.
Bryn
Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already.
She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.

Blog - https://showmeasign.online/
X - https://twitter.com/ShowMeASignBryn
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BrynBuck
User avatar
SBRoxMan
Member
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2021 15:20

Re: Most pronounced change in road quality over a short distance

Post by SBRoxMan »

I should add, the M56/A494 between Chester Services and the intersection with the A55 is probably the strangest set of road quality changes on a supposedly high-quality highway.

From Chester Services, it's D3M all the way to the intersection with the M53, then it becomes D2M until it becomes the A494, where it's then D2. Right on the junction with the A550 and on the England/Wales border, it's back to D3M with hard shoulder, until it briefly becomes D2M and then D2 as it crosses the River Dee.
Post Reply