Motorway junctions or bridges that were built prior to their road

[Bryn666]

I raise you M61 J9 and M62 J8 as other examples of roundabout interchanges where one of the bridges is the original (although in M61 J9's case the 'original' bridge was built later than the motorway itself as well).

And the junction that is now A1307/A141 at Huntingdon which was once a diamond.

Not quite the same is this roundabout which was first opened with the roundabout sitting on the eastern bridge and a temporary embankment at the western side, though the western bridge was planned from the start.

The interim layout existed for about a year in 1974-5 when there was a short gap in the M56 Sharston branch filled by the A560.

The A1307/A141 bridges look like they were both replaced though, as they appear to be the same early 1990s vintage. The examples I cited retained the original bridges and had roads constructed around them.

[RichardA35]

I raise you M61 J9 and M62 J8 as other examples of roundabout interchanges where one of the bridges is the original (although in M61 J9's case the 'original' bridge was built later than the motorway itself as well).

And the junction that is now A1307/A141 at Huntingdon which was once a diamond.

Not quite the same is this roundabout which was first opened with the roundabout sitting on the eastern bridge and a temporary embankment at the western side, though the western bridge was planned from the start.

The interim layout existed for about a year in 1974-5 when there was a short gap in the M56 Sharston branch filled by the A560.

The A1307/A141 bridges look like they were both replaced though, as they appear to be the same early 1990s vintage. The examples I cited retained the original bridges and had roads constructed around them.

The north western bridge which was original to the diamond was retained in the roundabout configuration hence why it is a bit squashed.

[wrinkly]

The A1307/A141 bridges look like they were both replaced though, as they appear to be the same early 1990s vintage. The examples I cited retained the original bridges and had roads constructed around them.

The north western bridge which was original to the diamond was retained in the roundabout configuration hence why it is a bit squashed.

I agree with Richard on this. I admit they look similar in age and style on Streetview, but I once visited the site during the time it was being converted.

I seem to remember hearing of a proposal to convert the A483/A525 diamond on the Wrexham bypass to a roundabout junction, but if I'm not imagining it, it has probably been dropped by now along with most other schemes in Wales.

[RichardA35]

The A1307/A141 bridges look like they were both replaced though, as they appear to be the same early 1990s vintage. The examples I cited retained the original bridges and had roads constructed around them.

The north western bridge which was original to the diamond was retained in the roundabout configuration hence why it is a bit squashed.

I agree with Richard on this. I agree they look similar in age on Streetview, but I once visited the site during the time it was being converted.

I helped to unsuccessfully tender the section just west past the racecourse in about 1993/4 - looking at ProMap the evidence is clear from "old" OS maps currently in the post 1974 copyright period.

[wrinkly]

I've just remembered another example of a GSJ which was first built with one bridge, and a second bridge was added later. M80 J3 Hornshill (/A806) is now an almost conventional roundabout junction, but (for no obvious reason if you don't know the history) the roundabout is to the west of where the obvious direct line of the A806 would be, and its bridges are at an oblique angle to the motorway.

It was once the end of the M80 mainline and was a unique style of (directional) fork junction. The western bridge is original; the eastern bridge was added when the M80 was extended. Traffic from the north heading towards Glasgow went over the original bridge in the opposite direction to today's traffic flow. Traffic from Glasgow heading for the A80 went under the bridge on the line of the permanent eastbound carriageway, then curved right.

Another example (though not a roundabout interchange) is the A666/A575/etc at Moses Gate between Bolton and Farnworth.

[KeithW]

There's this bridge built in 1840, about 120 years before the motorway

Built over another railway line as it happens.
https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/ind ... &layer=os1

[Chris5156]

I've just remembered another example of a GSJ which was first built with one bridge, and a second bridge was added later. M80 J3 Hornshill (/A806) is now an almost conventional roundabout junction, but (for no obvious reason if you don't know the history) the roundabout is to the west of where the obvious direct line of the A806 would be, and its bridges are at an oblique angle to the motorway.

It was once the end of the M80 mainline and was a unique style of (directional) fork junction. The western bridge is original; the eastern bridge was added when the M80 was extended. Traffic from the north heading towards Glasgow went over the original bridge in the opposite direction to today's traffic flow. Traffic from Glasgow heading for the A80 went under the bridge on the line of the permanent eastbound carriageway, then curved right.

Very true. What I can't remember, if I ever knew at all, is what the intended final layout of this junction was, when the skew bridge was built. There was presumably a plan for an interchange of some kind that was not what we ended up with.

[jackal]

Lofthouse was built as a stacked roundabout then progressively had the bridges utilised. In 1968 the M1 alone was open, 1970 added the M62 west with the roundabout and west-facing slips opened, while 1974 saw the M62 east added with the underpass and east-facing slips opened. Some nice detail in this 1967 article in The Engineer:

[Steven]

Lofthouse was built as a stacked roundabout then progressively had the bridges utilised. In 1968 the M1 alone was open, 1970 added the M62 west with the roundabout and west-facing slips opened, while 1974 saw the M62 east added with the underpass and Eleast-facing slips opened. Some nice detail in this 1967 article in The Engineer:

And of course, there's the Lofthouse Interchange article on the SABRE Wiki with details, and extracts from SABRE Maps showing the stages.

[wrinkly]

Very true. What I can't remember, if I ever knew at all, is what the intended final layout of this junction was, when the skew bridge was built. There was presumably a plan for an interchange of some kind that was not what we ended up with.

(M80 J3)
I wondered about that at the time the original junction was built. I've definitely never seen a plan of any earlier proposal for the final layout there, than the one that was eventually built.

On reflection I think it may well be that nothing more elaborate was ever proposed. The time gap between completion of the original junction and the publication of the final proposals for the extension was 12 years (1992-2004), which is not very great as these things go.

[Steven]

Very true. What I can't remember, if I ever knew at all, is what the intended final layout of this junction was, when the skew bridge was built. There was presumably a plan for an interchange of some kind that was not what we ended up with.

(M80 J3)
I wondered about that at the time the original junction was built. I've definitely never seen a plan of any earlier proposal for the final layout there, than the one that was eventually built.

On reflection I think it may well be that nothing more elaborate was ever proposed. The time gap between completion of the original junction and the publication of the final proposals for the extension was 12 years (1992-2004), which is not very great as these things go.

As far as I know, it was the same - the M80 was originally proposed to be further south through Moodiesburn, and meet the M73 at the same location as the original junction.

[wrinkly]

The route chosen for the M80 completion was the more southerly of the two I heard of. I think the other one was called the Kelvin valley route and would have passed close to where the B8048 goes over the railway with a roundabout at each end of the bridge. Presumably it would have rejoined the existing M80 at the north end of J7. But it would have been the same through J3.

Opponents of the chosen route complained that it cuts Cumbernauld in half.

[Chris Bertram]

This structure is, I think, original to M6Toll, and remains unconnected and unused. It's not a road bridge, it's a canal aqueduct and it's waiting for restoration work on the Wyrley and Essington Canal (the "Curly Wyrley") to reach it from the current terminal basin a little to the south. Given that canal restoration work often moves at a glacial pace, it could be waiting some time more.

M6 Toll
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iUcP2j11NbNKkpHb7

[KeithW]

This structure is, I think, original to M6Toll, and remains unconnected and unused. It's not a road bridge, it's a canal aqueduct and it's waiting for restoration work on the Wyrley and Essington Canal (the "Curly Wyrley") to reach it from the current terminal basin a little to the south. Given that canal restoration work often moves at a glacial pace, it could be waiting some time more.

M6 Toll
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iUcP2j11NbNKkpHb7

Yes I was just looking at the canal history and it appears to have been dormant for some considerable time. Its main trade was coal and the collieries closed long enough ago for the remnants to be hard to find.
https://captainahabswaterytales.blogspo ... ction.html

[jnty]

This structure is, I think, original to M6Toll, and remains unconnected and unused. It's not a road bridge, it's a canal aqueduct and it's waiting for restoration work on the Wyrley and Essington Canal (the "Curly Wyrley") to reach it from the current terminal basin a little to the south. Given that canal restoration work often moves at a glacial pace, it could be waiting some time more.

M6 Toll
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iUcP2j11NbNKkpHb7

I wondered about that last time I passed through, because it is signed as a canal yet seems from the road to heavily violate some key physical constraints of canal design!

[Bryn666]

https://lhcrt.org.uk/articles/aqueductstory.html

The answers are there, should you seek them

Thanks to support from Blott himself, the M6T didn't sever the line of the canal restoration. The proposal is eventually for a deep lock and marina here, and I'd love to see it happen.

[KeithW]

I wondered about that last time I passed through, because it is signed as a canal yet seems from the road to heavily violate some key physical constraints of canal design!

Canals of course can and do climb hills see the Caen Hill Locks
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.35211 ... &entry=ttu

[swissferry]

It was once the end of the M80 mainline and was a unique style of (directional) fork junction. The western bridge is original; the eastern bridge was added when the M80 was extended. Traffic from the north heading towards Glasgow went over the original bridge in the opposite direction to today's traffic flow.

...and then joined the M80 from the offside.