Is this the tightest dual carriageway bend in the world?

[roadtester]

I was watching CNN this morning and the showed a static photo of the Tour of Oman cycle race.

It showed what looked like a modern high quality dual carriageway in the mountains featuring a tight hairpin bend. I can’t find the specific photo on CNN’s website but here are some other shots of this or similar bends I found on Google:

https://tiz-cycling.racing/videos/tour- ... ighlights/

http://www.sportspromedia.com/opinion/t ... ness_diary

http://www.omanobserver.om/top-cyclists ... n-honours/

Is this the tightest HQDC bend out there?

It looks a bit like how I visualised some of the earlier proposals for the Air Balloon junction on the A417.

[Ruperts Trooper]

The hairpin at the lower car park on the Cairngorm road looks as tight.

[Chris Bertram]

The hairpin at the lower car park on the Cairngorm road looks as tight.

But HQDC?

[jimboLL]

The downhill/Westbound carriageway of the N205 between Chamonix and Passy has a ridiculous bend with an unusual and strictly enforced 25km/h limit for anything over 3.5t

The police have a permanent little wooden hut/hide they work from.

Despite the enforcement, plenty of lorries fall over, in which case the uphill carriageway, which is on a massive viaduct, can be switched to contraflow.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@45.93209 ... 312!8i6656

[JohnnyMo]

Germany does allow GSV but this look sharp for a motorway mainline A571

[Ruperts Trooper]

The hairpin at the lower car park on the Cairngorm road looks as tight.

But HQDC?

DC yes, not HQ but that isn't in the thread title

[jimboLL]

Also in France is the N175 at Avranches, Normandy.

Probably not the tightest but there's something odd about the camber and the downhill approach combined with the concrete barriers that makes it an "interesting" drive especially in a Sprinter type van.

[roadtester]

Germany does allow GSV but this look sharp for a motorway mainline A571

Interesting. I used to live quite near there (Bonn) but I don’t remember coming across it. Maybe I did but just forgot it over the years. It does look very tight for an autobahn.

[JohnnyMo]

Germany does allow GSV but this look sharp for a motorway mainline A571

Interesting. I used to live quite near there (Bonn) but I don’t remember coming across it. Maybe I did but just forgot it over the years. It does look very tight for an autobahn.

You probably never used that autobahn unless you visited Heimersheim or Bad Neuenahr, or used the A571/ B266 / A573 as a Sabre-esk detour.
( I assume this was the original route of the A61, or whatever it was originally called, before the valley was bridged. )

[roadtester]

Germany does allow GSV but this look sharp for a motorway mainline A571

Interesting. I used to live quite near there (Bonn) but I don’t remember coming across it. Maybe I did but just forgot it over the years. It does look very tight for an autobahn.

You probably never used that autobahn unless you visited Heimersheim or Bad Neuenahr, or used the A571/ B266 / A573 as a Sabre-esk detour.
( I assume this was the original route of the A61, or whatever it was originally called, before the valley was bridged. )

Well I’ve certainly been to Bad Neuenahr a few times but I don’t remember going that route.

You’ve really got me interested in this now - I’ll have to check it out next time I’m down that way.

[JosephA22]

Interesting. I used to live quite near there (Bonn) but I don’t remember coming across it. Maybe I did but just forgot it over the years. It does look very tight for an autobahn.

You probably never used that autobahn unless you visited Heimersheim or Bad Neuenahr, or used the A571/ B266 / A573 as a Sabre-esk detour.
( I assume this was the original route of the A61, or whatever it was originally called, before the valley was bridged. )

Well I’ve certainly been to Bad Neuenahr a few times but I don’t remember going that route.

You’ve really got me interested in this now - I’ll have to check it out next time I’m down that way.

That's a nice bit of cost cutting... The motorway that was supposed to head north east (apparently planned as the A31 at some point) is clearly visible, and that very sharp bend is on the slip road going from the A571 going from north to west.

But when the road was not built eastwards, they just dropped the slip road onto the planned mainline rather than build a bridge and have it swing smoothly round - you can see where it should have gone, closer to the river to the north of the "junction". Hence the sudden sharp turn.

[Owain]

Anyone been to San Marino?

[Pendlemac]

The downhill/Westbound carriageway of the N205 between Chamonix and Passy has a ridiculous bend with an unusual and strictly enforced 25km/h limit for anything over 3.5t

The police have a permanent little wooden hut/hide they work from.

Despite the enforcement, plenty of lorries fall over, in which case the uphill carriageway, which is on a massive viaduct, can be switched to contraflow.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@45.93209 ... 312!8i6656

Switched to satellite view and had a real job working out the road and junction layouts until I realised that the carriageways are flipped on that section and vehicles effectively drive on the left.

[jimboLL]

The downhill/Westbound carriageway of the N205 between Chamonix and Passy has a ridiculous bend with an unusual and strictly enforced 25km/h limit for anything over 3.5t

The police have a permanent little wooden hut/hide they work from.

Despite the enforcement, plenty of lorries fall over, in which case the uphill carriageway, which is on a massive viaduct, can be switched to contraflow.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@45.93209 ... 312!8i6656

Switched to satellite view and had a real job working out the road and junction layouts until I realised that the carriageways are flipped on that section and vehicles effectively drive on the left.

Indeed, although you don't notice it at all when you drive it. The overall design and separation are very effective.

[Euan]

On the topic of motorway bends, while browsing much of Europe on maps recently I noticed what looks like quite a tight bend on the M60 (Hungary) just south of where it continues on from the M6/E73 near Mohacs. It stood out as being a really sharp bend for a motorway, but I doubt it is as sharp as the A571 already pointed out in Germany.

[Nwallace]

The hairpin at the lower car park on the Cairngorm road looks as tight.

But HQDC?

DC yes, not HQ but that isn't in the thread title

It's a one way system rather than Dual Carriageway is it not?

[Micro The Maniac]

And I thought the bend on the M53(N) just after J7 was a bit harsh!

That nearly caught me out t'other night as I was tootling along at 70mph (yes, officer)... yes, I know what black and white chevrons mean, but I wasn't expecting a bend like that on a NSL UK motorway!

[Nwallace]

Always found the M876 junction 7 with the M9 pretty tight but nothing like these examples!
https://www.google.com/maps/@56.0427689 ... a=!3m1!1e3

[DJMS]

On the topic of motorway bends, while browsing much of Europe on maps recently I noticed what looks like quite a tight bend on the M60 (Hungary) just south of where it continues on from the M6/E73 near Mohacs. It stood out as being a really sharp bend for a motorway, but I doubt it is as sharp as the A571 already pointed out in Germany.

This bend is only temporary though. They have routed the road around the loop of what will eventually be a trumpet interchange (as far as I can see from the maps). The M6 will eventually continue south to become the Croation A5 however I recall seeing somewhere that plans to extend the M60 into Croatia are further forward than the M6.

[JosephA22]

On the topic of motorway bends, while browsing much of Europe on maps recently I noticed what looks like quite a tight bend on the M60 (Hungary) just south of where it continues on from the M6/E73 near Mohacs. It stood out as being a really sharp bend for a motorway, but I doubt it is as sharp as the A571 already pointed out in Germany.

This bend is only temporary though. They have routed the road around the loop of what will eventually be a trumpet interchange (as far as I can see from the maps). The M6 will eventually continue south to become the Croation A5 however I recall seeing somewhere that plans to extend the M60 into Croatia are further forward than the M6.

There's a very sharp bend on the S1 expressway in Poland at Bielsko Biala, where the S1 will eventually run North-South through the junction and the S52 will run East-West. Only the southern and western routes exist at the moment, and many people are caught out by this bend.