A125
A125 | ||||||||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||||||||
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From: | Eastern Avenue, Romford (TQ506898) | |||||||||
To: | Rainham Bypass (TQ520826) | |||||||||
Via: | Romford | |||||||||
Distance: | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | |||||||||
Meets: | A12, A118, A1251, A124, A1112, A1306 | |||||||||
Former Number(s): | B174 | |||||||||
Primary Destinations | ||||||||||
Highway Authorities | ||||||||||
Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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Route
Pretty non-descript, and easily the shortest of the A12x family apart from the defunct A122, the A125 used to span the gap between two of London's radial routes, the A12 and the A13. However, since the opening of the new A13 south of Dagenham and Rainham, the A125 now (since 1999) has a southern terminus on the 4-digit A1306.
Romford - Rainham Bypass
The road starts at a flat lights-controlled junction a mile north of Romford with the A12 Eastern Avenue and the B175, the latter continuing north through Havering. As North Street, the A125 heads south to a roundabout with the A118, and multiplexes to a certain extent with the latter as a dual (D2) ring road round the town centre. Many years ago, North Street met the High Street near Romford Market, and continued south as South Street. Today, the town centre is a pedestrianised shopping area. The modern A125 uses the Ring Road to the west (which includes a multiplex along the A118 between adjacent roundabouts), leaving the town centre, heading south as Rom Valley Way, still bypassing South Street, until at Roneo Corner, the staggered junction with the A124.
There's a one-way system at the eastern end of Roneo Corner, and the A125 continues south as the single-carriageway Upper Rainham Road, following the course of the reasonably scenic River Rom, the river giving Romford its name, to the west. It passes a green space, Elm Park, in the built-up area to the left (the western edge of Hornchurch). It goes under the District Line tube/London-Southend line, and then becomes simply Rainham Road (though there's another Rainham Road, the A1112, parallel to it a mile or so to the west - although in fairness both go to Rainham!), with two sharp bends (first left then right, heading south). The A125 actually meets the A1112 at a roundabout shortly after, though here the A1112 is actually called Dagenham Road (D2). The A125 continues south of the roundabout as S2 Rainham Road, and soon meets the old A13 (now A1306) New Road at Dovers Corner roundabout, near Rainham Tesco. The A1306 is single in both directions, though it was dual heading west towards Dagenham in its A13 days. The B1335 continues south of Dovers Corner through Rainham proper.
Original Author(s): Sunil Prasannan