A442 Bridgnorth Eastern Bypass

[Truvelo]

The top map shows a proposed eastern bypass of Bridgnorth along with the southern bypass which was built. When viewing aerial imagery it appears the line of the eastern bypass has been protected from development apart from the recent business park which has appeared on the southern side of the A458.

[Ross Spur]

Good spot and the roads plan looks an interesting document. What year was it?

Number 59 on the plan, the Whitburn Street Relief Road (Old Smithfield Road) was opened in 2009:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shro ... 932425.stm

[Alderpoint]

That "gap" you arrow is a pretty steep slope and at the north end finishes below the steepest part of Wolverhampton Road - look at a recent OS map. The "proposed" bypass would have been to the east of the ridge. Also north of the B4363 it's quite a drop back down to the valley floor to reconnect with the A442 - it would probably need going all the way to Worfe Bridge.

Of course, they just ended up diverting the A454 down to the A458 using a formerly unclassified road.

[Truvelo]

Good spot and the roads plan looks an interesting document. What year was it?

It's dated 1974. As it's a county council map it only shows improvements to their roads so the A5, A41 and A49 are excluded. The A458 was also destined for more improvements with the villages between Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury bypassed.

That "gap" you arrow is a pretty steep slope and at the north end finishes below the steepest part of Wolverhampton Road - look at a recent OS map. The "proposed" bypass would have been to the east of the ridge. Also north of the B4363 it's quite a drop back down to the valley floor to reconnect with the A442 - it would probably need going all the way to Worfe Bridge.

Of course, they just ended up diverting the A454 down to the A458 using a formerly unclassified road.

When placing the map over the aerial image it is to the east of the ridge. However, there's a nice convenient gap between the edge of the town and the ridge wide enough for a road. Why has the development ended like this and not been extended right up to the woodland. Those fields aren't really doing much.

[Alderpoint]

When placing the map over the aerial image it is to the east of the ridge. However, there's a nice convenient gap between the edge of the town and the ridge wide enough for a road. Why has the development ended like this and not been extended right up to the woodland. Those fields aren't really doing much.

As I've already pointed out, it's quite a steep slope so building anything on it (whether a road or houses) is going to be relatively expensive. It's also green belt, whereas to the west of Bridgnorth there is no green belt so easier to get planning permission to build - and cheaper too as it's flat(er).

[Hdeng16]

When placing the map over the aerial image it is to the east of the ridge. However, there's a nice convenient gap between the edge of the town and the ridge wide enough for a road. Why has the development ended like this and not been extended right up to the woodland. Those fields aren't really doing much.

As I've already pointed out, it's quite a steep slope so building anything on it (whether a road or houses) is going to be relatively expensive. It's also green belt, whereas to the west of Bridgnorth there is no green belt so easier to get planning permission to build - and cheaper too as it's flat(er).

Hmm I'm not sure I agree... if you look at the ends of the housing estate along the route (Elmhurt/Pineway/Hazel View/etc, it looks steep but very much easy enough to dig out and accommodate a road. Kinda looks like the steep housing estate gives way slightly to the cambered but flatter field, before rising again in the woodland). Maybe just the streetview camera.

(Edit) Looking on OS mapping it looks like it's steeper than the estate, so maybe it is purely just a weird streetview image.

It certainly wouldn't go anywhere now (a bypass past the first floor windows of existing properties tends to get the short shrift now!).

I'm actually more interested in the Wenlock bypass / Wenlock Edge improvement - any more info on that? I know the existing route was constantly being rebuilt/protected from rock falls for a while in the 90s. The A458 is a heavily improved road in it's current form west of Wenlock otherwise - surprised the fairly easy other bypasses didn't come to fruition here.

[Truvelo]

There's a map of Wenlock Bypass in the wiki.

[nick_dunn]

It's dated 1974. As it's a county council map it only shows improvements to their roads so the A5, A41 and A49 are excluded. The A458 was also destined for more improvements with the villages between Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury bypassed.

That "gap" you arrow is a pretty steep slope and at the north end finishes below the steepest part of Wolverhampton Road - look at a recent OS map. The "proposed" bypass would have been to the east of the ridge. Also north of the B4363 it's quite a drop back down to the valley floor to reconnect with the A442 - it would probably need going all the way to Worfe Bridge.

Of course, they just ended up diverting the A454 down to the A458 using a formerly unclassified road.

When placing the map over the aerial image it is to the east of the ridge. However, there's a nice convenient gap between the edge of the town and the ridge wide enough for a road. Why has the development ended like this and not been extended right up to the woodland. Those fields aren't really doing much.

A couple of observations - firstly, at the exact point where the "gap" reaches Wolverhampton Road at the northern end of the route is the location of a series of caves called The Hermitage and this is a Scheduled Monument. I doubt that could have been disturbed. Also, on the east side of the ridge in the farmland between the trees and the A454 is an underground reservoir supplying the town. I don't know exactly how far it extends under the fields or whether it was there in 1974, but perhaps influenced the outcome.