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Chris5156 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 09:32
The two isolated sections of the Manchester Eastern Bypass here and here must be contenders - they date from the 1930s, so about 90 years of futureproofing that was never used.
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another dual carriageway section (although that could be directly for the M60)
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
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The A6144 connects the M60 (at two junctions since May 2006) to the A56. You wouldn't usually head this way unless you were planning on visiting either the Carrington training ground of Manchester United FC, or the massive number of chemical and electrical plants along the road.
We shall start at the original eastern end of the road, M60Junction 6. This was originally a standard roundabout, but was changed to a dumbbell in 2006 when the M60 was widened.
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
The entire M63 as was relied on this road being built - all the other junctions are limited access facing away from Manchester because Hardy Lane would have taken that traffic. A classic example of one link in a chain missing breaking the entire network.
Bryn Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already. She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
The A6144 connects the M60 (at two junctions since May 2006) to the A56. You wouldn't usually head this way unless you were planning on visiting either the Carrington training ground of Manchester United FC, or the massive number of chemical and electrical plants along the road.
We shall start at the original eastern end of the road, M60Junction 6. This was originally a standard roundabout, but was changed to a dumbbell in 2006 when the M60 was widened.
Wheeldale Roman Road. Clearly intended as a route for taking the Legions to visit the joys of Whitby but never finished due to a local farmer telling the Sixth Cohort to 'Gerroff mah land!'
This bit of dual carriageway was part of dualling up the A30. There were probably plans to build by-passes around Camberley to the east and Hartley Wintney to the west. When these by-passes were built they also by-passed this bit of dual carriageway. The new bypass also got a new name - the M3.
Chris5156 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 09:32
The two isolated sections of the Manchester Eastern Bypass here and here must be contenders - they date from the 1930s, so about 90 years of futureproofing that was never used.
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another dual carriageway section (although that could be directly for the M60)
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
I spent a year at Hardy Farm Residence (part of UMIST) in 1974/5. The residence, to the south of Hardy Lane was brand new, but had inadequate car parking - only senior students wer allowed cars. The University Hardy Farm sports centre was built to the north of where the extention to Hardy LAne woudl have been. I never saw any sports beign played there and I have since discovered that it proved to be too boggy to be a sports field (especially in winter). From my own observations, it might have been OK during the summer (doggy in the spring though), but where were most of the students in the summer - not in Manchester.
wrinkly wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 14:07
A627(M) at its junction with the M62, opened 1972. Split carriageways to allow for a top level which at the time was expected to be built around 1981.
wrinkly wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 14:07
A627(M) at its junction with the M62, opened 1972. Split carriageways to allow for a top level which at the time was expected to be built around 1981.
The one thing I’ve always wondered is why they built this road and if they had planned it to go further? For example to cut the corner.
There's nothing been found in plans - Broadway was always a four lanes single carriageway and already developed so building a motorway down to what was still an uncertain outer ring road line was never going to fly. It ends in a seemingly not sensible place as a result because that is where logic could take it to at the time.
Bryn Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already. She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
wrinkly wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 14:07
A627(M) at its junction with the M62, opened 1972. Split carriageways to allow for a top level which at the time was expected to be built around 1981.
The one thing I’ve always wondered is why they built this road and if they had planned it to go further? For example to cut the corner.
There's nothing been found in plans - Broadway was always a four lanes single carriageway and already developed so building a motorway down to what was still an uncertain outer ring road line was never going to fly. It ends in a seemingly not sensible place as a result because that is where logic could take it to at the time.
I have always held the belief that it was meant to flow onto the Oldham ring road rather than Broadway but I have found no plans to substantiate these claims. There are a few clues why I believe this was the original intention. The southern A627(M) GSJ has a tight curve on the underpass whereas if it went towards Oldham it would take a straighter line. Then there's the Oldham ring road with its GSJs. If Chadderton Way was also GSJ'd it would provide a completely freeflowing route from the Mumps area of Oldham all the way to Rochdale.
I do have evidence to support a northern extension of the A627(M) though. The original plans for the northern terminus showing flaring for a continuation through Sandbrook Park but I have nothing to show where it would have gone from there.
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
The one thing I’ve always wondered is why they built this road and if they had planned it to go further? For example to cut the corner.
There's nothing been found in plans - Broadway was always a four lanes single carriageway and already developed so building a motorway down to what was still an uncertain outer ring road line was never going to fly. It ends in a seemingly not sensible place as a result because that is where logic could take it to at the time.
I have always held the belief that it was meant to flow onto the Oldham ring road rather than Broadway but I have found no plans to substantiate these claims. There are a few clues why I believe this was the original intention. The southern A627(M) GSJ has a tight curve on the underpass whereas if it went towards Oldham it would take a straighter line. Then there's the Oldham ring road with its GSJs. If Chadderton Way was also GSJ'd it would provide a completely freeflowing route from the Mumps area of Oldham all the way to Rochdale.
I do have evidence to support a northern extension of the A627(M) though. The original plans for the northern terminus showing flaring for a continuation through Sandbrook Park but I have nothing to show where it would have gone from there.
Given the A627(M) really was intended as part of an Oldham-Rochdale route I think you may be onto something. Chadderton Way came much later than either the motorway or Oldham Way so presumably the GSJ was laid out based on existing flows and the desire to create a more strategic link from Rochdale to Manchester.
The northern end with that sharp turn screams "temporary end" but this effect was lost somewhat when the roundabout became signals.
Lancashire road plans didn't always make sense though, and the later arrival of SELNEC made things even more fragmented.
Bryn Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already. She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
Bryn666 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 20, 2022 14:36
The northern end with that sharp turn screams "temporary end" but this effect was lost somewhat when the roundabout became signals.
The sharp turn was part of the original plans. From memory it looked something this like and the roundabout wasn't part of the plans. It's at Rochdale Library if you want to see it. I didn't make any copies as it wasn't worth the charges for just one small piece. Annoyingly it was the 1/10000 key plan with the entire A627(M) highlighted in three areas for the larger 1/2500 maps which were unfortunately not present. If the junction was built like this then it would also quality for this thread as being future proofing that was never used.
Attachments
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
I can't say for sure, but this roundabout layout is odd, a bit like they were expecting to tunnel underneath it but only as a later plan to extend the dual carriageway ... though, I'm not sure where?
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
The A6144 connects the M60 (at two junctions since May 2006) to the A56. You wouldn't usually head this way unless you were planning on visiting either the Carrington training ground of Manchester United FC, or the massive number of chemical and electrical plants along the road.
We shall start at the original eastern end of the road, M60Junction 6. This was originally a standard roundabout, but was changed to a dumbbell in 2006 when the M60 was widened.
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
Mauldeth Road West was destined for far greater things than just the Hardy Lane extension. For example the junction with Withington Road was going to look like this. East of Princess Road Mauldeth Road West was to follow the abandoned railway line and head towards Gorton along Wayland Road as another ring road around Manchester. This explains why Mauldeth Road West is dualled only west of Princess Road.
Attachments
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
BenMcr wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 20:52
Always think Hardy Lane in Chorlton, Manchester was designed for something more. It's as wide as the (now part ex) dual carriageway Mauldeth Road West it links to and in the other direction lines up with Old Hall Road in Sale which has another old dual carriageway section.
For the traffic it takes I think Mauldeth Road West itself is over engineered, which I guess is why part of it, and Hardy Lane could be used for the tram without too much disruption to traffic.
M60 J6 (as originally built as M63 J8 with the single large roundabout) was built on the assumption that Hardy Lane would be extended to meet it on pretty much the same alignment now occupied by the Metrolink line.
Mauldeth Road West was destined for far greater things than just the Hardy Lane extension. For example the junction with Withington Road was going to look like this. East of Princess Road Mauldeth Road West was to follow the abandoned railway line and head towards Gorton along Wayland Road as another ring road around Manchester. This explains why Mauldeth Road West is dualled only west of Princess Road.
I would have thought the dualled section of Mauldeth Road was dualled (though not necessarily shown as such on OS maps) long before it was known the railway was going to be abandoned.
Dual carriageways even on A roads were not shown on OS 1" maps before about 1960. Some dual carriageways on B and yellow roads were still often not shown well after that date.
