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During that time, I've lived in Lancaster, Bradford-on-Avon, Frome, Coleraine, Londonderry, and Leeds, and I've also worked in Kingston-upon-Thames and Worcester without living anywhere near them.
I think the single biggest improvement would either be the Lancaster bypass or the dualling of the A6 in Northern Ireland, even though - in both cases - they waited until I'd left before completing either of those major improvements.
The worst would be the recent reconstruction of the Armley crossroads on the A647, where they've made it impossible to drive straight across the junction towards Kirkstall and Headingley, instead syphoning you off towards the notorious gyratory for some reason I cannot fathom.
The A453 widening M1-A52 was a game-changer. Previously there was an 8-mile long queue to get into Nottingham & horrendous rat-running, now it takes 8 mins even in rush-hour.
Also vote for the A46 Newark-Widmerpool upgrade, and A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon.
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Two Griffiths road widenings and realignments come to mind in the Vale of Glamorgan (where I lived for my first 23 years before Bristol): The A4226 Bonvilston-Barry and the B4265 beside Aberthaw Cement Works. It used to be very much that drivers fought with HGVs and agricultural vehicles for road space in the area, where you have to drive to get absolutely anywhere (particularly back pre-2003 when Rhoose and Llantwit Major had no heavy rail link whatsoever). Parts of the local network, especially the A4226 that were once the 'good bits' are completely unchanged and becoming notorious, but the parts that were once really awful are an absolute breath of fresh air.
There isn't much in the last 20 years, but before that, the A31/A338 Ashley Heath GSJ made a huge difference, especially in summer. 15 min waits to join the rbt from the west, because of the relentless flow out from Bournemouth. Now, it is a joy and I still think of the improvement when using it.
Also, A35 Tolpuddle bypass. Now I only rarely use the A352 via Wool to Dorchester.
A30 Honiton to Exeter. The traditional queue at the west end of the Honiton bypass has gone forever.
A350 Blandford bypass and bridge under the A303 are major improvements. Used to be a staggered crossroads and very dangerous trying to join the continuous summer traffic on the A303.
darkcape wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 22:48
The A453 widening M1-A52 was a game-changer. Previously there was an 8-mile long queue to get into Nottingham & horrendous rat-running, now it takes 8 mins even in rush-hour.
Also vote for the A46 Newark-Widmerpool upgrade, and A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon.
Upvote for the A453 dualling. It was the route when we were visiting mother-in-law (RIP), and was a right royal PITA before the improvement. Actually I'd been using it since about 1989 when I was working in Newark for a short period. So I got to experience the joys of A46 from Bingham to Newark as well. Most of that journey to Newark has now been improved since then, with only A52 from Tollerton to Bingham still unimproved.
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Living in Mid and North Wales there's been a *lot* of very useful roadbuilding over the last 15-ish years, mainly stemming from a change of focus at Welsh Government during the Labour-Plaid coalition.
I'd say the biggest improvement is actually the smallest of those projects, which is the Glandyfi widening on the A487. Its not a big job, just a realignment of a mile or so of road however it removed a significant bottleneck on the route and made it much easier for HGVs to pass each other without 15 minutes of shuffling or ripping a curtain side off.
I'm not sure, but for the next 10 years will be the improvements to the Black Cat roundabout, and from where I used to live, the Lower Thames Crossing
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Completion of the Sheffield Inner Ring Road in 2008. A significantly lower standard than previous sections (which have proper dualling, limited junctions, roundabouts, and a 40mph limit)* with 30mph limit and signalled junctions with too many tiny side roads but definitely an improvement on the line on a map that was there before.
* which is in turn a monster reduction in scale from the A61(M) proposed in the 1970s.
Herned wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 15:04
As I have lived in south London and Somerset in the last 20 years, I would struggle to think of any improvement on a road I use with any frequency.
I'm looking forward to the A303/A358 dualling, if any more of it ever gets started apart from Sparkford-Ilchester.
I know that the Batheaston Bypass was built in the 1990s, but due to a nimby backlash the proposed spur towards Warminster was never built with it making little improvement to traffic flow, and it was built with a 50mph speed limit and cameras.
The A3 Hindhead Tunnel. When it was built I lived nowhere near it, but I've moved to that part of the world since then.
Before the tunnel was built the A3 was an all day car park both ways through Hindhead - if it had never been built, my ability to travel north and east from home would have been radically different, and I'd have spent a lot more of my time messing about on the Farnham bypass or trying to find rat runs across the A3 towards Haslemere.
Chris5156 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 17:38
The A3 Hindhead Tunnel. When it was built I lived nowhere near it, but I've moved to that part of the world since then.
You're definitely doing it the right way round!
Since my "Places that have had improvements since I left" post above, I've thought of another one: the A4440 Worcester southern ring road used to be hell at 9am, after driving for two hours to get there, but as soon as I didn't have to go there any more they dualled part of it.
I'd have to say the A1 roundabout removals during the early 2000s. All of them made a difference, but Apleyhead A57/A614 put an end to the queuing traffic and the line of caravan/burger vans which were a feature of the roundabout for many years beforehand. You just whizz past now without even knowing the previous situation. As mentioned by other people, Bramham to Wetherby and the Ferrybridge A1(M) upgrades also made a huge difference to journey times.
On a smaller scale, cycling infrastructure has improved greatly in the last twenty years.
Amey resurfacing roads in Sheffield. It's no longer Pothole City.
With the rider that much of the work was a 30-40mm inlay, with only limited areas down to 100mm or so depth. Unfortunately many roads have sections of completely failed pavement, with the cracking/settlement of those bits now working through to the surface, so a bit of a waste of time and money for those bits. They've started to repair the failed bits but I'm unaware as to whether or not they are fixing these correctly, with a full depth reconstruction. Time will tell.
Patience is not a virtue - it's a concept invented by the dozy beggars who are unable to think quickly enough.
We've lived here in Haslington near Crewe for 27 years, and looking at really local roads, I would say the Wheelock Bypass is probably the biggest improvement. Looking a bit further out, the recent Congleton Link Road is a really useful improvement, (until the fields either side become filled with housing, of course !).
Nationally, the improvements to the A1 have been fantastic. They just need to sort out the few remaining roundabouts in the southern section and upgrade/reroute the remaining 2 lane sections (especially around Doncaster and Stevenage)